The Lord's Prayer
by WIWJ
Summary: Nearly three years after the events of the Prospect Park, the Lord Family once again turns Llanview on it's side in an attempt to undo all the wrongs that have plagued them for generations.
1. Chapter 1

"Blair." Bo Buchanan regarded her with a flat affect. She returned it in spades.

"Commissioner." She settled herself into the black sette, crossing one long leg over the other. "My manager says you wanted to speak with me? I was just about to head home."

"Can we take this upstairs then?" He gestured to the elevator to her residence, she crossed one arm over the other.

"Do you have a warrant?" She held his steely gaze.

"Do I need one?" He countered.

"I don't allow anyone upstairs except family members."

"Yes, I hear you've become rather reclusive since you moved out of La Boulaie."

"My family wants to feel safe it their new home." She raised an eyebrow. "In our past homes my children and I have been attacked, kidnapped, held hostage, shot at and my husband and I were interrupted naked in our bedroom by Llanview's finest. Forgive me if I've updated my security standards."

He didn't say anything, even he couldn't argue her point.

"Funny you should mention your husband. He's why I wanted to talk to you."

"He usually is." She replied with a Manning like disdain.

"I was surprised to see that you'd married him again."

"Were you?" She blinked lazily.

"I guess I shouldn't have been."

"Im fairly sure if they knew, not very many people would be." She sighed.

"I just found out you've been married for two years." He raised an eyebrow. "Too late to send a gift."

"What do you get a couple for their fourth wedding ceremony anyway." She perked up a little at the joke. He couldn't help but smile.

"It's just that most people in this town are of the opinion that Todd Manning is either dead or guilty of murder."

"Well.." Blair seemed to ponder it for a moment. "Typically both of those opinions are usually proven incorrect."

"Do you know where Todd Manning is?"

"If I did why would I tell you?" She stood slowly. "I don't think there are any current charges. No pending warrants."

"This organization didn't just come after your family Blair. They came after mine as well, my brother was almost killed."

"How is Clint doing St. Anne's?" Blair whispered.

"Vicki's moved him somewhere more suitable."

"I'm sure she did." She grimaced. "I promise you Bo, no one is more focused on bringing the people that hurt your brother to justice more than Todd. It's why he's not here talking to you right now."

"And Victor?"

"You'd have to ask, Tea."

"I intend to."

"Good." Blair smiled slowly. "If there is nothing further Commissioner, I'd like to go back to my children now."

"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Manning."

She waited until security had shown him out of the lobby before she poked her head into the club to make sure everything was as it should be. She unlocked the door to the secure lobby and pressed her thumb against the sensor in the elevator.

She was already pulling her earrings from her ears by the time she keyed into the front door. She shook her feet from her shoes and padded across the living room and up the stairs. Blair found him at the window of his office, staring out at the black night.

"The keystone cops found our marriage license." She whispered coming up behind him and slipping her arms under his and molding her front to his back.

"Only took them two and a half years." He sighed, leaning his head against the side of her face. "I'm impressed."

"It worries me Todd, why were they running a records check on us?"

"On me." He corrected. "If they'd run a check on you they'd know about the other secret." She sighed into his neck. "My guess is they're starting to put together our pieces. Seeing the cases solved as the giant puzzle it is, instead of separate events. We should call a family meeting."

"Later." She sighed, pulling away and pulling out her phone. "Starr sent us at text."

"She did?" He looked at his phone.

"Just to me." She smiled. "Are the kids In bed?" He nodded and she shook her cell at him before sitting it on the desk and walking to his sitting area. "Your daughter says to move the chairs out of the way and press play."

He helped her pushed the steel grey lounge chairs back against the wall, she leaned towards the phone and hit a few buttons, untill a soft piano was playing over his office speakers.

"Today is my parents 25th wedding anniversary." Came their daughters soft voice. "Well, one of their weddings anyway." The crowd laughed politely. "Still it was my dad's favorite one, I think." More laughter. "Anyhow. I wish that they could be here right now and I could watch them dance to what I have decided is their perfect song. If you'll indulge me…" They clapped in response.

"Better not be Nat King Cole." Todd breathed, pulling her flush against him as the piano started in earnest.

_**We were on fire  
I slashed your tires  
It's like we burned so bright we burned out  
I made you chase me  
I wasn't that friendly**_

"Our daughter might be on to us." Todd laughed softly, in her ear,

"Mmm.." Blair clasped his fingers a little tighter. "She sounds amazing."

"She is amazing." He breathed. "Takes after her mother."

**_Then after we were high and the love dope died, it was you  
The pill I keep taking  
The nightmare I'm waking  
There's nothing, no nothing, nothing but you  
My perfect rock bottom  
My beautiful trauma_**

"Doesn't seem like a quarter of a century does it?" Blair asked tracing her fingers across the curve of his ear with her nail. He shook his head at her.

"You still look 25." He raised an eyebrow. She snorted with laughter, leaning in and kissing his exposed collarbone.

**_'Cause we've been on the run so long they can't find us  
Who's gonna have to die to remind us  
That it feels like we chose this blindly  
Now I'm gonna fuck up a hotel lobby 'cause  
These tough times they keep coming_**

"It's all going to come out soon Todd. All of it." She sighed. "I'm not sure I'm ready for our little bubble to burst."

"It's been a nice bubble to live in." He agreed.

"You'll enjoy being out in public again though won't you?" She pressed her cheek into his shoulder, his hand left her hip and slid into her hair, clutching her head to his body. "Not cooped up here in our little castle."

"I love it here Blair." He pulled back to look at her. "There is no place I'd rather be." She smiled and he kissed her lips. "This is the happiest I've been in my life."

She knew he was telling the truth.

**_There's nothing, no nothing, nothing but you  
My perfect rock bottom  
My beautiful trauma  
My love (my love), my love, my drug, oh  
My love, my love, my love, my drug, oh_**

"It will be good for the kids though. A more normal life." Todd sighed. "As normal as it can ever be for them. 'Growing up Manning' isn't that what Jack calls it?"

"Yes." Blair hummed in mock annoyance. "I'm scared Todd. We don't do normal. It breaks us."

"We're unbreakable now, Blair." He pushed his chin into her hair. "I know it. You and I, our family, we've never been stronger."

He was right, but the fear still settled in her stomach like a brick. The rest of the world had never been kind to the two of them.

_**it was you  
The pill I keep taking  
The nightmare I'm waking  
There's nothing, no nothing, nothing but you  
My perfect rock bottom  
My beautiful trauma  
My love, my love, my drug, oh**_

Star's voice faded out and the crowd clapped and cheered. Todd Manning kissed his wife.

"Happy Anniversary Mom, I miss you Dad." Their sweet daughter said over her acculaids.

"Miss you too Shorty." Todd whispered back, his breath tickling her chin.

"I'm going to send out a text." Blair whispered to him. "We'll gather everyone tomorrow morning." He nodded. "But tonight Mr. Manning you are going to carry me to bed and keep me up half the night showing me how unbreakable we are."

He nodded.

"I'll say nine?" She picked up her phone.

"Jack will love that." He scoffed.

"Well, remind him it will be six am for Starr." Todd started down the hall, opening the door to Sam's room, grinning at how small he still looked in a wad of blankets. He rapped his knuckles on Jack's door.

"Hey. So family meeting tomorrow morning." He told his son.

"Everything okay?" He looked up at Todd in alarm, Manning nodded, pursing his lips. "Mom home?"

"Everything's fine son." Todd assured him. "Nine?"

"Starr's gonna love that." Jack said with a smirk, Todd smiled.

"Love you." He whispered.

"You sure-?"

"Nothing terrible has happened." Todd put up his hand.

"Okay…" Todd started to pull the door shut. "Dad?"

He pushed his head back into the room.

"Love you too." The boy whispered. Todd nodded, swallowing hard as he shut the door. He walked towards the Master suite, opening the door into the sitting room, He could hear Blair in the shower on the other side of the double doors into their bedroom. He took a right instead, and headed down the small hallway, cracking the door open.

Manning sat on the edge of the white cast iron canopy, and brushed the blonde hair off of his granddaughter's face. Their miracle stirred but she didn't wake, he kissed her cheek and moved across the room to the crib.

Their secret, he mused exhaling slowly at the rising terror of going public with the contents of this room. He leaned forward until he could see her clearly in the glow of the night light, Merrie's shock of red baby curls were still damp against her pale skin.

He'd moved heaven and earth for the contents of this room. He'd killed for them, nearly died for them and soon it would all be out in the open. It would be up for debate, and he knew that it would be debated.

"Daddy loves you." He told the toddler as her breath caught and quickened at the sound of his voice, even in her sleep. "And I'm going to keep you safe."

"Todd?" Blair whispered from the door, he reached out his hand to her and she led him back to their double doors. He kissed her soundly, before lifting her into his arms, as directed.

"I'm going to keep all of you safe."

"I know." She smiled at him. "Everyone's responded. I don't know why your sisters are up at one in the morning, but they both were."

"Lords don't sleep." He mused as he walked them backwards into their bedroom, his wife kicked the door shut with her foot. "Jack was awake."

"Good thing we sprang for the soundproofing then." She teased, tugging his shirt from his pants as he set her on the bed.

"Good thing."


	2. Chapter 2

Jack Manning credited his genes with his ability to function best on four hours of sleep. That was convenient, since his niece was up and running about the house by eight thirty, he came out into the upstairs common area to find the five year old on roller skates.

"What are you doing? Do you want to fall down the stairs?" He asked in alarm before his eyes darted to the large open staircase a few feet away. He sighed in relief at the sight of his twelve year old brother nestled in a bean bag chair at the top, his legs resting on the banister preventing disaster.

Sam closed his book and looked up at him over the rim of his glasses.

"Mom said family meeting at nine." He swallowed.

"Yeah, Dad told me last night." Jack sat next to him, listening to the chair hiss as it's contents resettled. "It's okay. He said it's not a big deal."

"He's lying." Sam exhaled, his eyes following hope as she glided from wall to wall.

"I know." Jack rubbed his face.

"Boys?" Blair called from the doorway of the media room. "Victor's on the wall."

"I want to talk to Grandpa Victor first!" Hope shouted, crashing against her grandmother's leg. The baby Blair was holding screeched in irritation, her cubby leg stomping at her aunt.

"Nooo Hote!" She yelled.

"Ow!" Hope yelled in exaggerated distress, before breaking into choppy dramatic tears.

"Meredith Cassandra we do not kick people." Blair said sternly, watching the fiery redhead's lower lip shoot out in protest.

"NO! NO Hote!" She insisted as her aunt continued to wail.

"What is going on up here?" Todd called, coming up the stairs.

"Take this little terror." Blair sighed, handing her daughter to her husband as Hope skated and cried dramatically towards her uncles collapsing with flare onto Jack's lap.

"Alright you won the Oscar, that's enough." Jack inhaled dramatically, boosting her onto his hip. Let's go see if we can wake up your mommy." He looked at his brother. "You get first dibs on Victor. Don't tell him about my game. I get to do that."

"Yeah like I wanna use my fifteen minutes with my bio dad to talk about your soccer skills." Sam mumbled making his way past them and into the media room.

"Vic's live in there?" Todd chucked a finger at the room, Blair nodded. "She nail Hope?" He lifted Merrie up a little.

"She gave her a good kick in the neck but it wasn't her usual force." Blair shook her head. "She's a terror Todd."

"She'll grow out of it." He shrugged.

"I'm glad you're so sure." Her phone beeped and she looked down.

"Well, Starr's not blackmailing anyone and it's been years since Jack's accidentally killed anyone."

"That we know of!" Blair teased. "Your family's here. I buzzed them up."

"Okay." He puffed out a breath. "Wanna make sure we get the last few screens up?"

"Yeah. I think I heard Jack greeting Dani."

"Good." He called as he carried Merrie down the steps. Just as the security system announced their guests.

"Victoria Lord. Tina Roberts. Natalie McBain and Jessica Buchanan. Confirmed." It chirped obediently. "Please advise." He pressed the panel.

"Validate." He told it, kicking his wife's discarded shoes towards the wall.

"Val a did!" Merrie yelled.

The door chimed again before Todd opened it.

"Hi loved ones." He smiled before letting it drop off his face. "And Natalie and Tina."

"Todd, Meredith." He kissed Vicki on the cheek, moving Merrie further away from her.

"Careful she's being her usual self." He warned.

"There is Aunt Tina's precious girl!" His other sister squealed in the same voice she used for her dog. To Todd's chagrin his daughter squealed back, babbling incessantly at his least favorite sister as she pushed away from her father.

Tina scoped her into her arms and nuzzled her close. Jess rolled her eyes at them, but Natalie smirked at Todd.

"It's the hair." He told them both. "Come on up."

….

In the Media room Jack was helping her arrange the chairs in a u shape around the room so that everyone could be seen. Hope was dancing vivaciously for her sleepy mother and Sam was telling Victor about all the latest goings on around Llandview. She could see Dani smiling and laughing and she wondered which conversation she was focused on. It was only when she and Starr both broke into applauds at the same time that she really knew. Hope was bowing repeatedly and she watched Victor's eyes drift over Sam's shoulder to the little girl. Sam noticed too, his eyes rolling.

Todd and his sisters had made it into the room now, she watched him take in Sam's face before ruffling his hair which looked more and more like Jack's every day.

"Vic." He regarded his brother, before turning to Sam. "Can you help your mom get Hope settled, Son."

"Sure Dad." Sam muttered, Blair watched Victor's eyes shoot back to them.

"We'll talk later, Buddy." He called.

"Yeah.. bye Dad." He gave him a half hearted wave. Victor looked remorseful.

"Nice job Jerk." Manning muttered.

"I'm sorry I don't see her everyday. It's nice to be reminded she's alive." He pointed at Hope. Todd raised his eyebrows at him and nodded.

"Our sons need to be reminded that you know they're alive too." He countered.

"Hi Dad!"

"Shorty." He called, his eyes never leaving Victor. "Amazing set last night. We loved our song."

"Omg It was the gold balloon wedding anniversary!" Victor smacked his hand on the table. "I knew I was forgetting something."

"Hey!" Todd yelled. "Keep forgetting."

"Hello Father number three." He looked up at the screen.

"Danielle, I love your hair. You look like your Aunt Meredith. Vicki doesn't Dani look like the picture you brought me of Meredith for Merrie's nursery?"

"Absolutely." Vicki shot back.

"The eighty's are back in style." Dani shrugged. "Aunt Tina hold up our baby sister so Starr and I can see how big she is!"

"Speaking of.." Sam piped up after getting Hope set with the iPad. "Where's Tommy?"

"We're here. We're here." Tea's voice called from off camera. Victor frowned at his screen for a minute. "It's the little square on the bottom. No Victor, the square. Honey.. it's the.. Tommy show Daddy what a square looks like."

"I've.. got it.. Jesus...Tea." The screen zoomed towards Victor's nose for a minute and Todd pressed his lips together and looked at Blair.

"The other way Victor! For God's sake!"

"I know!"

Blair winked at her husband and he snorted out a laugh as Tea and and Tommy finally came into view.

"Say Hi!" Tea pointed Tommy's hand at the screen.

"Hi Uncle Todd!" Tommy yelled excitedly.

"Hey Kid." Todd said with a smile.

"Baby!" Merrie yelled confidently pointing at the wall.

"I not a baby!" Tommy yelled back with the full virbrado of a scorned preschooler.

"Baby!" Merrie doubled down angrily.

"You a baby!" He accused, causing the little girl to growl like a rabid dog before letting out a shrill scream.

"She's so bad." Dani laughed.

"It's the hair." He repeated. "We should get to it. We're missing one." He glanced at Vicki. She was already looking at her phone.

"He's not alone. He's working on it." She sighed.

"We should start." Natalie touched her mother's arm. "You can catch him up."

"He knows already about Blair's visitor." She told Todd.

"What visitor?" Victor sat up straighter.

"Tommy go play with your Legos' Sweetheart." Tea said before moving over to her husband.

"Is Hope-?" Starr whispered.

"She's got Beauty and Beast turned up so loud I can hear it through her headphones." Sam reported.

"Bo came to see Blair last night. Seems he ran a records check on me. He found our marriage license." Manning announced to the room.

"Shit." Victor rubbed at his face.

"Why is that a problem?" Jack asked shaking his head back and forth. "So Mom and Dad got back together like three years ago what does that prove?"

"It's more about what else he found Jackson." Victor mumbled. "And why he started poking around…"

"What if he finds out about the kids Todd?!" Tea hissed looking over his shoulder at Tommy. "We can't be sure they'll keep it quiet what if someone finds out where they are and-."

"No one is going to find them." Todd assured her.

"That's it. I'm coming home." Starr shook her head frantically. "Dad send me the jet to LA and-."

"I'll fly in tonight and come back with you." Dani agreed.

"No. No." Blair put her hands up. "That will put us under more scrutiny and put the kids at a higher level of risk."

"Mom!" Starr covered her eyes.

"Your mom's right Shorty." He looked between his two older daughters. "It's not safe right now for any of you to come to Llandview and it is absolutely not safe for any of us that are supposed to be dead or missing to leave our hiding spots." He stopped and looked at Victor.

"You're right."

"Todd…" Vicki's voice was strained, Todd turned slowly. "There's a problem."

"Is Dad okay?" Jessica asked, her hand coming down on her mother's arm.

"Yes, honey he's fine. There was just a man asking questions. He wants to make sure he's gone before he joins us."

"What kind of questions?" Todd asked, looking over his shoulder at Victor.

"Asking about his family, his past."

"We have to get him out of there." Jess shook her head.

"No. He's.. he's close.." Natalie looked between her uncles. "John told me Anna's positive that this is the last cell"

"I'm still on the fence about the Port Charles Police.." Victor announced unceremoniously.

"John trusts her." Natalie hurried to say. "He's known her since the FBI-"

"Well forgive me for not trusting a government organization or McPain-." Victor scoffed.

"You're talking about my husband."

"Stop it both of you." Vicki yelped. Victor and Natalie both fell silent.

"The PCPD is trustworthy. Without Devane we would have never gotten control of this situation and I we would have never found the kids." Todd told his twin.

"Clint's online." Blair said softly.

They all looked at their screens as Buchanan blinked into view.

"Well that was odd timing." He growled. "Hello everyone."

"What's going on?" Todd squinted at him.

"What are the odds of an unscheduled visit from the court to insure that the conditions of my agreement are being followed happening on the same morning of our spur of the moment family meeting? I think we have a problem Manning."

"Bo or Nora would have mentioned a visit to me." Vicki shook her head. "I don't like this at all."

"What did they ask?" Victor demanded.

"They wanted to know the specifics of my condition." He rolled his eyes. "When my symptoms began. He asked about my family. Then he asked about traumatic events."

"Did he mention the children at all?" Blair whispered, her eyes darting to the corner where Hope was curled into a chair. Todd clenched his jaw and looked at his daughter. Starr looked terrified.

"No, but he did bring up our girls." He sighed dramatically. "Natalie especially. You know who that points to."

"I don't understand." Jessica shook her head, her blonde curls swaying back and forth. "Mitch is dead. We saw him die. Nat made John check and recheck."

"Yeah well, dead is a relative term." Todd huffed. "We can't be sure…"

"We need to go to the source of all things Mitch Lawrence." Blair rubbed her face.

"Yeah." Todd sighed, looking at his brother.

"See aren't you glad I wouldn't let you put a bullet in her brain." Victor's eyebrows rose.

"Not really." Todd quipped. "But she may prove useful. Who goes?"

"Put me in coach." Natalie calle, raising her hand. Manning nodded in approval.

"No." Jessica's read was still shaking. "I should go."

"No way." Natalie pointed at her sister. "You need to stay away from Alison Perkins. It's not good for your recovery."

"Natalie-." Jessica growled at her sister.

"Stop!" Vicki put up her hand. "I'll go."

"Vicki!" Clint moaned.

"She can't hurt me Clint." She met her ex husband's eyes. "She has no power now."

…

"We're missing something."

Blair listened to the strain in her husband's voice as she leaned against the doorframe of the media room. Everyone else had gone, but he and his brother remained entrenched.

"Of course we're missing something." Victor's voice rumbled. "If we weren't this would be all cleared up by now."

"So.." Todd rose and went to the large touch screen on the wall, looking at the large chart of photos with Mitch Lawrence at the top. "Mitch takes me, hands me over to Mommy Dearest. She has you, and Patrick for some damn reason that won't produce any fruit until a decade later. Fast forward to then, Allison takes you. Then she tries to take Clint." He points at her. "In an attempt to gain access to Bree, Ryder and Liam, right?'

"Best guess." Victor shrugged, looking at his own screen and smacked at a picture of Heather Webber. Todd's eyes rolled. "Then they recruit this nut job from the Port Charles psych ward."

"Heather take's Tommy from me at the shed, replaces him with a dead baby she just happens to have on hand. I'm not gonna think too hard about that one." Todd grimaced. "Cole orchestrates his and Hope's death.."

"It all comes back to the common thread." Victor rubs his face. "What the hell is it all about?"

"Collecting Lord children." Todd growls.

"But why?" Victor shook his head. "It's not money. Not one ransom request."

"I don't care as much about why as who." Todd sat down slowly, "If I know who I can find them and kill them and it'll all be over."

"If we knew who we'd know why." Blair whispered softly coming into the room. Todd pulled her onto his lap. "If we knew why we'd might know who."

"We need a lead." Victor mumbled. "And Clint needs some back up."

"Starr wants to go see Cole, see if he's remembered anything else." Blair reported.

"No." Victor looked up sharply. "Nope. That's a horrible idea."

Blair looked at her husband, he twisted a lock of her hair around his finger. She smiled sadly at him.

"It's a good idea." He swallowed. Victor sputtered in protest. "We also need to bring someone in to help Clint."

"I'm going to make an unpopular suggestion." Blair kept her eyes on Todd.

"Cord." Todd guessed, she nodded.

"Oh come on!" Victor muttered.

"We can't bring in Bo." Todd turned to his twin. "You wanna call Kevin and see if he wants in?"

"Damn it."

"So Cord it is." He exhaled heavily. "You should have him and Tina here."

"Do I get a say in this?" His brother shouted.

"It's a democracy. We'll vote. It'll be unanimous with the exception of you, and probably Clint."

"Yeah." The youngest of Victor Lord's children murmured. "I need to think."

He pressed the button and the screen went blank.

"You think Mitch Lawrence is alive?" Todd asked his wife quietly.

"No." She traced the outline of his face. "I think his followers were cooped by your mother's organization. It was somehow blended and refocused on the next generation of Lords. They wanted to turn You, Natalie, Victor, Jack, Dani.. wahts the comon thread there?"

"We all felt like outsiders." Todd nodded.

"They thought they could turn you against the family easily, but when that proved more difficult they went after the younger children."

"For what end? Vic's right it would make sense if it was about the money.."

"If not money then what else.." Her eyebrow lifted and she waited.

"Revenge?" He shrugged, she pressed her index finger against his chest with a smile. "This is all an echo of Mitch Lawrences revenge?"

…..


	3. Chapter 3

Starr Manning walked off her private plane and into her waiting limo with all the confidence of the celebrity she pretended to be. Once safely inside, she pulled off her sunglasses, changed her shirt and stuffed her hair into a ponytail and out the back of a ballcap. Yanking off her five inch heals, she wiggled her jeans off to reveal a pair of leggins. She pulled on a plain black coat. Tossing everything else into a dime store duffle bag she signaled the driver to cut through the narrow alleyway, where she exited the car before it had come to a complete stop and slid effortlessly into the waiting taxi and watched the photographic mob follow the limo out the other side.

"Nice job." She jumped slightly before turning to look at the other passenger. "No one saw a thing."

She took a staggered breath before throwing herself into her mother's waiting arms.

"You should have told me you were coming!"

"And ruin the surprise?" Blair laughed.

"I almost had a heart attack!" Her daughter slapped at her playfully before hugging her again. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Me too."

"I can't believe you're really here." She sniffed back a tear. "How is-?" She glanced at the driver.

"Wonderful." She whispered. "She's wonderful. I'll tell you all about it when we get to our room."

…

Jack's phone chimed and he looked down in relief, keying in his code before heading towards the door.

"Where you going?" Todd yelled over the high pitched screeching coming from the floor by his feet.

"No place." He huffed. "I called in reinforcements."

Usually his Dad had no trouble corralling the brood of Manning kids on his own, but since his mother had gone to New York with Starr things in the fortress had gone to shit. When Jessica had come to pick up Sam, who had begged off staying at Lanfair with Bree for the weekend, she'd mentioned that Aunt Tina was restless since Cord had gone to San Diego, Texas to be with Uncle Clint. One more well placed tantrum from his baby sister had solidified Jack's mission.

"Who?!" Todd shouted before grabbing up a closed eyed, roller skating Hope, mid way through a stage performance of 'Be our Guest', just before she slammed into the middle of Merrie's fit. "Careful!"

"Tina Roberts." Announced the security system. "Confirmed. Please advise."

"Jack!" Todd pleaded.

"Validate!" He pressed the panel with unnecessary force.

"Val a Did!" Merrie screamed, her tiny legs kicking wildly as she threw herself on the floor.

Jack swung the door open and pulled his Aunt inside.

"Oh my." She gasped, pressing her hand to her chest and quickly handing Jack her dog before starting up the stairs to Todd and the girls. "You should have called sooner!"

….

When they led Cole Thronheart into the visitors room Starr's heart clenched, despite her irritation.

"Starr." He smiled at her, she reached for her mother's hand.

"Hello Cole." Blair told him softly, as her daughter regained her composure.

"Hi Blair." He said politely, before turning back to Starr. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." She bit her lip.

"Cole do you know why we're here?" Blair prompted.

"You want to talk about the accident." He sighed. "Starr I'm sorry that I said those things before. I was confused. I know now.. " He gulped. "That Hope died."

Blair watched her daughter swallow hard.

"I think it was just too much to take, you know? Facing the fact that she had died, again. I think that's why I couldn't believe it, but I'm working with the doctors here and they've really helped." He adjusted his sleeve, revealing a familiar faint spiral.

Starr looked at her mother, Blair frowned.

"We are really happy to hear that Cole. We were hoping that we could talk about both stories. The one that you know now is true, and also the one that you thought was true when you were very sick." Blair asked him gently. "The one about seeing your parents? Before Todd helped you get to LA?"

"It's crazy." Cole shook his head. "My parents are both gone. Hope is gone." Starr's lip trembled and she adjusted her grip on her mother.

"You said that something happened with your dad. That he told you a story.." Starr whispered. "About how God and redemtion, second chances?"

"Starr I don't want to talk about it." He shook his head. Starr tried a few more times before Blair had enough, she locked eyes on his tattoo.

"Three branches one tree." Blair's voice was firm and cold, it made Starr jump. Cole turned towards it mechanically.

"We are one…" The young man whispered.

"Do you know your orders?" Blair continued.

Starr looked between the two of them, her mouth agape.

"I.." He struggled for a minute. "I am to stand down."

"Before that." Blair demanded.

"I am the piper." He told her proudly.

"Has Lazarus risen?" She asked, her mouth drawn into a line.

"He has chosen Jairus' daughter."

"She was not dead merely asleep." Blair's hand shook in Starr's grasp. "Has Lazarus risen?"

"Not yet." Cole's mouth curled into a snarl. "Not yet."

"Who chose Jairus's daughter?"

"Mary at the knee of the savior." He mumbled.

"While Martha prepares the feast." The tall blonde ground out through clenched teeth.

"Mom?" Starr squeaked.

"Who are the three branches?" Blair's leaned forward ignoring her daughter.

"But Jesus said 'Let the children come to me. Do not stop them!'"

"Who are the branches?" Her whisper was harsh. Starr glanced around the room but on one seemed to notice.

"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

"You tell me." Blair Manning accentuated each word, slowly looking deep into the shiny hypnotized eyes of her granddaughter's father.

"And you shall know the Lord your God, he is the faithful God keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and obey his commands."

"What are your commands?"

"Let the little children come to him." Cole said smartly. "They will come to him."

"Over my dead body." Blair whispered, her lower lip trembling. "Over my dead body."

"How is it going over here?" Came a soft melodic voice. "Cole are you having a nice visit?"

The man's eyes blinked up at his attendant and Starr watched the malice and mania drift away.

"Yes." He smiled. "I'm telling Starr how much better I've been doing."

…

Todd had to admit that Jack hadn't been totally off base as he leaned back in his chair and looked out at Hope as played on the rooftop garden. He turned to look at Tina, Meredith settled asleep against her chest.

"Thank you." He said flatly. "For coming." For a second Tina Roberts considered a sarcastic come back, but one look at her brother and all she did was smile and pat his leg. "I don't do well, without Blair."

"You do fine." She told him softly.

"We're having some trouble with Hope lately, not listening."

"It's difficult, keeping children away from the world, it's a prison. Even if it's one for their own good." Tina sniffed. "And Merrie."

"And Merrie." Todd sighed. "I think we're too old to have a toddler."

"There are two kinds of Lord women, Todd." Tina told him as a matter of fact. "Soft strong girls that internalize their pain, that carry on with grace and poise. The Vickis, Merrie, Jess and Hope. Then there are fiery girls, the ones that lash out and attack the world. They fight and claw and demand everything they desire. The Tinas, Natalie, Tess, Sarah, Dani, Bree and apparently your darling little Meredith."

He considered it for a moment.

"What about Starr?"

"Your Starr is different. She was born fiery and demanding, but then something happened."

"What..?" He turned to face her.

"What do the Vicki's all have in common? Remember who Jess thought her father was…"

"You're saying I did this to Starr?" He scoffed.

"No Stupid, the loss of you did this to Starr. It made her a Vicki." Tina shook her head like he was an idiot, and for a moment he entertained the possibility that Tina was right. "Victor's not a good father. Not as good as you are anyway. We're just lucky she didn't develop a bunch of alters. "

"Do you think she could ever be a Tina again?" He mused, his eyes following Hope across the playground.

"You want her to be a Tina?" His sister whispered softly. Todd shrugged. "You hate the Tina's."

"Blair's a Tina." He pointed at her. "I love her."

"Blair's smart." Tina shook her head.

"Natalie's smart." He told her pointedly. "Dani is smart. Hell Tina, you're not as stupid as you used to be."

"Why thank you, little brother." She said sincerely. He chuckled.

Todd's phone rang on the table he picked it up with a smile.

"Hi Babe. How's New York?" His brow furrowed and he pulled himself up from the chair. "Hold on. Hold on. It's okay." He put his hand over the phone. "Can you watch the girls for-?"

"Go!" She waved him away with a worried look.

"Blair? Honey, calm down. Where is Starr?"

….

Starr Manning watched her mother carefully as she paced the Lord jet, only taking her seat when the pilot told her he wouldn't land until she did.

"I didn't even ask if you were ok." Blair said suddenly. "That had to have been hard for you, seeing Cole like that."

"Mom, what was that?"

"That was the organization." Blair shivered slightly. "That's what takes people who you know and love and turn them into something totally different. Someone you don't recognize."

"That's what they did to Victor?"

"More than once." She rubbed her face.

"And Uncle Clint." Starr thought to herself out loud. "What about Dad?"

"Your daddy's brainwashing didn't take." Blair looked at her hands. Starr's stomach lurched as the plane costed to the ground.

"We're taxing to the hanger now Mrs. Manning." The flight crew informed her, mother and daughter sat in silence until they deplaned and slipped into the the waiting car.

"What are you doing here?!" Starr was still replaying the day when he mother's voice drifted into her head and she turned to see her father in seat beside her mother. "The girls?"

"Tina is with them." He assured her.

"You shouldn't have left the house." Blair wailed as his arms came around her. "It's not safe."

"You call me hysterical and I'm supposed to wait at home?" His voice was high and panicked. "You're lucky I didn't come to New York. Hi Shorty." He released one of her mother's shoulders and pulled her to him.

"Dad." She sighed into his embrace before pulling away.

"Starr was with me. When I-. She saw it." Blair sniffed, leaning her head into Todd's shoulder. "I shouldn't have done that. I-."

"You did what you had to do. " Todd told her firmly. "I called McBain. He and Anna are heading up there now to follow up." He kissed her face and looked at Starr with a gulp. "You okay?"

"I just-. I didn't know there were still things we didn't know about.. everything."

Todd took a deep breath, he had decided when he left Llanview in search of Victor that the kids wouldn't be left in the dark. He'd told Jack as much as he knew back then. When he'd followed the trail of breadcrumbs to the surprisingly not dead Cole who'd led him to Baby Victor (later be renamed Tommy Lord, at his father's' request) he couldn't really keep the kids out of the loop on that. Especially when that meant that Hope was also likely alive.

"We have to be very careful, Starr." He sighed, rubbing his hands up and down Blair's back. She nodded.

It had been Victor's request not to tell them everything. He hadn't told them how he'd killed Heather Webber, on site, the second he'd had Tommy in his grasp. It had only been later when he wondered if she knew where Hope was, if he should have spared her. Anna Duvane had been the one to tell him that there was no way Heather would have given her up, even if she had known

"You okay, Babe?"

"I'll be okay when we're home with the children and the system's armed.." She breathed into his ear.

…...

Bo Buchanan's hackles were raised. He'd just gotten off the phone with a very heated FBI agent who informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he was not to be investigating anything related to Todd Manning.

And furthermore, he was not to discuss any information about Manning or any of his relatives with the press, or even more importantly, anyone from the District Attorney's Office. Which was a cute way of saying his wife.

He didn't like this at all. He didn't like the fact that the FBI was apparently investigating Manning. He didn't like the fact that Cord had suddenly left town on business, without mentioning to his uncle what that business was. Or Mathew for that matter, who was working with him at BE. He didn't like that Vicki had called him and asked for an updated schedule of past and future visit dates for Clint's court appointed case workers. He didn't like that she had meticulously gone over it with him, asking if he was sure it was a complete list; or how she'd waved away any concern with a simple: 'I'm just trying to insure the facility is aware' when he asked why this had come up at all.

He had asked, as he had before to be added to the list of visitors allowed to see Clint at the Southern Texas facility and had been again told no.

"He doesn't do well with visitors." She told him sadly before wishing him a happy early Thanksgiving and hanging up the phone.

He didn't like feeling lied to, especially by the Lords, which is why he was trying again to reach Cord. He heaved a sigh of relief when Cord Robert's voice came on the line.

"Finally." He said gruffly after his nephew's hello.

"Yeah, I heard from Matthew and my secretary you've been trying to get a hold of me. I'm sure you know I'm away on business."

"BE business?" Bo asked expectantly. Cord made an uncomfortable noise.

"That is where I work." He informed him blankly.

"It's just that Mathew didn't seem to know much about it."

"Look." Cord paused with a soft grunt. "I value everything that Matthew has brought to BE, it's been nice having him with me, with Llanview being a little short of Buchanan's right now, and with Jess running the Sun." He cleared his throat. "But you can't think that a Jr. Executive is going to be fully informed on what the CEO is working on."

Bo pushed out a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb.

"No. No of course not." He sighed.

"If you're asking me as a shareholder, I'm sure I can have someone send over a-."

"No." He stopped him, looking up at the ceiling. "No I-. Thank you that won't be necessary." He was being ridiculous. This was nothing. 'Business man goes on Business trip' was hardly a headline worthy of the Banner or Sun. "I'm sorry. I think I'm just feeling a little detached with Clint out of commission and-."

"That I understand."Cord said softly. "When I get back we can get a beer or something. I'll catch you up on the latest BE gossip."

Bo chuckled, shaking his head at how quickly he had dove into conspiracy theories. He hung up the phone not knowing he had just placed a few weights on the heavy burden his nephew had recently been given.


	4. Chapter 4

Victoria Lord walked into Statesville with a little more trepidation than her companion had expected.

"You okay?" John McBain's ragged voice came out in a whisper. She nodded. "You don't have to do this. I could go alone."

"No." Vicki shook her head. "If anyone can coax Allison into running her big mouth it's me."

John had to agree. Vicki got under Allison's skin better than anyone. He flashed his badge at the door of the maximum security wing and he and Vicki were escorted back to the holding cell where they could talk to Allison through the thick pane of glass as Todd and Victor had insisted.

He didn't like taking orders from Victor Lord, but the fact was no one knew more about the organization and its potential risk then Victor Lord.

"You listen to her. Really listen. If she's repeating phrases, or saying anything that sounds like an insane southern preacher, you get my sister the hell out of there." Lord had told him via video conference in what John referred to as the war room of Todd Manning's fortress. "Seriously." He gave him a death stare. "I'm trusting you with my sisters life McBain."

John would have pointed out that he was a cop, and if either of them should be trusted with Vicki's wellbeing it was him, but a quick shake of the head from Todd Manning had made him bite his tongue.

"Vic, John's not going to let anything happen to Vicki. He's family after all."

"That's only if you consider Natalie family." His brother grunted.

"Well I consider you family and you stole my life for eight years, Bro. So how about we let John do his job?" Todd had said casually, like he was referring to his twin stealing his CD's not his very identity. "I'll talk you you soon."

"It's weird, seeing you two all happy family." John shrugged.

"You save a man's life and bring back his kid from the dead and they tend to be nicer." He shrugged, before the grin left his face and he became more somber. "He got the shit end of the stick McBain why should I hold a grudge?"

John wondered what about Victor's life Todd found so much less desirable than his own, before deciding it was probably about Blair.

"He's right though, about Perkins. There is a reason they have her solitary. She's dangerous. This organization is very dangerous. Especially for Victor. If someone had the power to take my free will away from me with a few catch phrases, I'd probably think twice about sending my beloved sister to meet with her."

Todd Manning being an FBI asset was also something he found he didn't particularly like, but the man had proven on more than one occasion that he was incredibly invaluable. Which is why Manning's pleas to protect Vicki seemed to carry more weight that his angrier sibling.

"I wish Todd were here." VIcki's whispered admission brought him back to the present as the two of them took their chairs in front of the glass. "No offense, Dear."

"None taken." John smiled at her, shocked to find he actually meant it. He knew Todd Manning would have more insight into this situation then he would, so he vowed to remember every last detail.

…..

The garage security waved the Manning car through one of the first doors before the driver exited and returned to the lobby. When the red light turned green, Todd tapped at the panel and the second door opened, moving the vehicle forward on its own accord. Starr watched with fascination to what had become an everyday occurrence to her parents. The door closed again and another light turned green. Her mother gestured for her to open the door. Todd had gone out the other side and was collecting their bags from the trunk.

"I don't have anything to wear in this weather." She moaned.

"We'll get you somethings." Todd said softly. "Your sister still has things in her closet."

"Dad. I can't wear anything Dani can wear." Starr chuckled. "Dani ironically is built like mom while I'm built like Aunt Vicki."

She glanced at her mother when she said this, but Blair was already at the elevator, pressing her thumb against the panel. She exchanged a worried glance with her father before they joined her.

"I can't wait to see-."

"Not yet!" Blair stopped her. "Don't say it until we're-." She swallowed hard, looking at the floor. Todd dropped the bag he was holding and took Blair's hand in his.

"It's okay, Babe." He whispered. "Everyone will be excited to see you, Shorty."

Starr forced a smile as the elevator beeped and then opened. Todd kicked at the baggage until Starr moved it into the plain cement block lobby. Starr watched her father key in another code and the door opened into another, slightly less compound like area. He swung the door open.

"We're home!" He yelled.

"We're in here!" Tina called back from the dining room, as the children turned from the table.

"Mommy?!" Hope's surprised shout made everyone jump, her chair clattered to the walnut floor as she ran, in a blur of blonde and pink, to her mother. Starr was already crouched on the floor sobbing with outstretched arms. They fell back into a heap of arms and legs when Hope reached her target.

"Merrie's asleep." Tina told Blair as the other woman's eyes swept the room. At least she was."

"Thank you." She whispered before quickly greeting her sons and hurrying up the steps. Todd paused a minute to check in with the boys and his sister before following her.

…..

"Blair?" He cracked open the door to the nursery to find his wife on Hope's bed clutching their sleeping toddler to her neck. He joined her, pulling gently until she collapsed back against his chest with a sob. "Talk to me."

"One word." She shook. "One word Todd, outside of this house and they will come for my baby in the night!"

"No one will ever-."

"Tell that to Starr, Tell that to Tea!" She buried her face in his shirt. Todd watched Merrie stir.

"Shh.. you're going to wake up the tiny terror." He pressed a kiss against her hair, while rhythmically patting the baby's back until she settled again, her fingers slipping into her mouth. "We will never let anyone take our children anywhere."

"I don't want Starr to leave." She told him quickly. "No one knows she's here. She could let her agent know there's been an emergency that she'll be out of the country."

"That's her decision to make, but good luck getting her untangled from Hope anyway." Todd had mixed feelings about Starr being here. The father in him wanted her in the fortress more than anything, but he also knew that Starr being here increased the chances that people would ask questions. Mainly why she had left a successful music career in LA to return to Llanview. Questions and reporters would follow, and one mistake would leave them exposed. "What aren't you telling me? About Cole?"

"I told you everything." She whispered, she'd rehashed the conversation with him more than once over secure channels, but he knew there was more.

"Blair?" He pulled her hair to the side and met her damp eyes.

"It was so similar." She told him calmly.

"To Victor." Todd finished, the air deflating slowly from his lungs.

"I know you don't like to talk about it." She sniffed as he adjusted his hold on her. "But what if..?"

"He hasn't given us any reason to worry." Todd lowered his voice. "We know the signs, he's not showing any of them."

"That we've seen." She scoffed.

"I talk to him everyday." Todd, lifted his hand from his daughters back and held it in the air.

"I know he's your brother and-." She began.

"I owe it to him, Blair." He said softly. "To trust him. If he can't come back from this what does it say about the rest of us?About Hope? They had me too, Blair. If you're concerned about Victor why aren't you concerned about me?"

"I told Starr your brainwashing didn't take.' She sniffed in what could have been a laugh and Manning smiled.

"I thought I killed Victor. I was seeing the ghost of Mommy Dearest all over town." He reminded her.

"Yeah well. You weren't attacking people and giving their babies away." She sighed.

"Sam Morgan might disagree with that last part." He chuckled. "Victor could never do anything that threatened the kids Blair."

"He tried to take Hope once, maybe that was early programming-." She pressed her fingers in to the hand he held against Merrie's back.

"Maybe, but he couldn't do it remember. He couldn't do that to Starr." He mumbled into her hair. "He loves her. That's the antidote remember? Love."

"Love." She sighed.

"Irene couldn't brainwash me because I loved you too much. They couldn't get Victor to deliver the kids to them because he loves them. Clint loves Nat and Jess too much to take their kids from them. Cole tried to tell us about Hope because he loves her."

"Cole.." She breathed, remembering the wicked smile that had graced his face when he quoted Matthew 19:14. "Do not stop them." She whispered.

"Babe?"

"It was a threat. Let the little children come to me and _do not stop them_." She shook her head.

"Because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these.." He took a deep breath. "I don't know what kind of sick bastard thinks that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the Lords." He chuckled softly.

"Lazurith." She answered with disgust. "And his band of followers.

"Mitch Lawrence is dead, Cole would have proclaimed him risen with glee if he wasn't."

"But Carl Peterson and his psycho sister stepped right in to fill the void."

"Weak people are attracted to psycho paths. I agree with them that my father and Mitch were branches of the same tree." He sighed.

"So who's the third branch of the tree Todd? The living branch?"

"I don't know." He leaned forward and looked at his wife. "But we'll find out, and we'll kill him."

…..

"Well, Allison didn't give us anything useful." Todd sighed, glancing up at his brother's face. "But Cole scared the shit out of Blair and Starr."

"I don't know how I feel about Starr being back in Llanview." Victor rubbed at his chin and leaned back into his desk chair. Todd crossed the room and sat on the table.

"I'm with you on that one, but you get her away from the daughter she has only seen in person twice since she's been 'risen.'" Victor felt himself wince at his brothers words. Todd grimaced. "Sorry."

"It's fine. It's not like you say it and I turn green and start flipping over tables." Her growled.

"I know." Todd looked towards the door, his face softening in a way that could only mean Blair had arrived.

"What is it like?" There was an edge to her voice that put Victor on alert.

"What is what like?" He raised an eyebrow and she wrinkled her nose at him.

"Please don't play coy." She shook her head. "I just watched a boy go from confused and fragil, to manical in the blink of an eye because I said a phrase."

Victor gulped back any response he might have had when he looked at Blair's face. He felt a whisper of the Todd part of him longing to reach out and comfort her false bravado. The real Todd Manning watched her for a moment before his leg kicked out and tapped the outside of her thigh. She backed up into his embrace and sighed. Victor felt the tension melt from him as well.

"Blair have you ever had an itch you couldn't reach?" Victor asked, looking down at the keyboard. "It's so uncomfortable and nagging and everything in you wants to get to the itch but you know you can't?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"That's what it's like." He blinked up a her with the flat affect everyone had come to understand as the Victor parts of him. The parts that lacked the depth of Todd. "You say 'three branches one tree' and I itch, but I don't scratch."

"So what do you do?" She felt sorry for him, he could see it in her face. It pissed him off, he moved his eyes to Todd who held them with the strong steady reassurance he'd come to rely on. Damn him.

"I wait for it to go away." He told her. "And it does."

She was still eyeing him suspiciously, like his very existence was something that still offended her, even after all these years.

"Dad?" Victor winced again as his oldest son's voice floated from Pennsylvania to Tahiti.

"Yeah Sam?" Todd called back, unpulsed by Victor's unjustified jealousy.

"You said you'd help me."

"I'm coming." He looked up at his brother. "You two going to play nice while I design a diorama of Paris?"

Blair shot him a look and he raised his hands in surrender and backed out of the room.

"It bothers you." She sighed. "Sam calling Todd 'Dad'?" Blair took Todds seat on the conference table.

"I don't love it." He swallowed. "But he's not wrong. Todd is more of a father to him then I have ever been."

"You're right he is." She was indignant, but he could still see the shadow of pity.

"Todd loves kids. Turns out I'm not really much of a fan." Victor had spent a lot of time thinking about this since Tommy had been returned to them. "I'm trying to do better, but I find myself relying more and more on Todd's parenting skills when I'm dealing with the son I'm currently raising."

"Todd knows the damage a bad father can do." She whispered. "He takes parenting Sam especially seriously."

"He still thinks one day he's going to wake up and become Peter Manning." Lord shook his head. "He won't."

"I know that." She huffed.

"There's no need for a pissing contest, Mrs. Manning. I know you know Todd better than anyone. Maybe even me. Definitely better than he does." Victor chuckled.

"What about you? Do I know you?" She looked afraid of the answer.

"Blair, I don't even know me." He met her eyes again. "But I can promise you, on my life, I won't scratch the itch."

When he finally got of the phone with his sort of ex wife and wandered back to Tea chatting in animated Spanish on the phone to Dani while feeding Tommy lunch. Victor sat down next to his son, pulling a grape from his plate and tossed it into his mouth.

"You so funny Daddy!" The little boy laughed, his father smiled widely.

…..

Anna Duvane couldn't sleep. She pulled herself out of bed and made her way down stairs to the kitchen table. Emma had started a puzzle just before bed and she was careful not to disturb it. Something was bothering her about her conversation with McBain earlier. She pulled out her iPad and looked over her notes again.

Prisoner then began babbling about a lute and nymphs and a song so beautiful it could raise the dead.

There was something so familiar about it. Something she just couldn't put her finger on. Anna switched to the internet and typed that phrase into the search bar.

She squinted at the results before the realization hit her. She grasped the phone and called John McBain.

"The Lute player, his name is Orphus, and he raises the dead." She said breathlessly. "You need to contact Captian Brot Monroe in Pine Valley, and ask him when the last time someone saw David Hayward was, now."

….


	5. Chapter 5

"Shorty?" Todd looked towards the doorway at his daughter.

"I thought maybe you'd be up. I'm on California time." She whispered, making her way into her parents bedroom. "Where's mom?"

"She fell asleep with Meredith in Hope's bed." He smiled sadly before gesturing to the pile of papers surrounding him. "I thought I'd go over some things. Peanut finally stop talking your ear off?"

"I love every minute of it." She swallowed before climbing onto the mattress next to him. "Is this.. the thing?"

"This is the timeline." Todd inhaled slowly and exhaled with a nod. "I'm adding details of Vicki's conversation with Allison and what happened with your mom and Cole."

"That's a lot of notes."

"It's important we remember every word we can." He rubbed his face. "Words are very important."

She picked up the small stack of papers with her daughters picture paperclipped to the front, flipping through it.

"I still can't believe it sometimes." Starr smiled, tracing the picture. "That she's alive. I spend so much time pretending she's not." Todd watched his daughters lip tremble. "She keeps asking me if I'll take her to the Zoo while I'm here. If we can go to the park. She's a hostage here."

"I'm sorry about that."

"I understand why." She shook her head. "You, Hope, Uncle Victor, Tommy.." She grabbed her cousins file the photo showing him as a bright eyed baby next to him now. "Dad, Meredith has never even left this house."

Todd pressed his lips together and tried to come up with something to say only to be interrupted by a yell.

"Mommy!" Hope's voice called loudly. "Mommy where are you?"

"I'm in Grandma and Grandpa's room." Starr called back as the small footsteps came closer.

"You snuck away from me!" The little girl pouted, as Todd began to move some of the files out of the way.

"You should be sleeping!" Starr laughed as she clambered onto the bed, looking at the photo her mother was holding.

"That's Brian." She told Starr brightly pointing her finger at the earliest picture.

"No Silly, that's your cousin Tommy." Her mother smiled, Todd's brain started churning.

"No." Hope shook her head in the rude dismissive way she'd developed lately and pointed to the other picture. "That's Tommy." She pointed back at the baby. "That's Brian."

Starr started to correct her but Todd reached for the picture, pulling it off and showing it to Hope.

"How do you know Brian?" The name was familiar, buried somewhere deep in his files he was sure, but he couldn't remember why.

"He was at the hospital." Hope's voice held an air of superiority, like she couldn't believe how stupid her grandfather and mother were. "With me and Grandad."

Todd opened his mouth to question her further when his phone started to ring. His head snapped around as his mouth slipped open at the number on the screen.

"This can't be good." He grabbed it. "McBain? Now?" He looked at his watch again. "It's four in the morning? Yeah. Of course.." He rubbed his face as he hung up.

"What's wrong?" Starr pulled her daughter to her chest.

"Anna Duvane needs to see me. Now."

…...

"We need to talk to you alone." Anna looked around the living room, her eyes drifting up the stairs to where Starr stood, holding a sleeping Hope in her arms.

"We can use the media room." Todd nodded.

"Alone Manning." John repeated. "This is classified information."

Anna watched Todd's eyes shift, before he cocked his head to the left and called upstairs.

"Shorty, take Peanut back to your room. If your mom wakes up before I'm back let her know I'm in the basement with McBain."

"There's a basement?" Starr asked in mild amazement.

"Starr." He huffed.

"Sorry yeah.. Basement okay…" She mumbled carrying her daughter back towards the west wing doors.

"Come with me." He gestured to Anna, walking back out into the main lobby and to the elevator they had accessed from the garage. Todd entered a code into the panel and it started to move.

"This building is really quite amazing." Anna's soft British accent tapped out. Manning grinned.

"Never can be too careful." He looked at McBain. "You really should get better security for Llanfair."

"Three cops live there." McBain snorted. "It's pretty secure."

The elevator stopped and the doors remained closed. Todd keyed in another code and the swished forward, revealing a small room. Duvane thought it looked like a prison cell. She half expected to find Manning's enemies chained to the beds. The elevator doors closed as they stepped off and a steel door came down in its place.

"What is this?" She asked following the men into a side room set up like a living quarters complete with a kitchenette. This area was almost like a family cabin, she looked left to see a bunk room, before joining them in what seemed to be an office.

"This is a safe house." John rasped. "You know, incase the fortress isn't enough."

"You're the fourth person to know it exists." Todd looked at her pointedly, before sitting at the desk. "Mazel Tov. Now that you have me all secure can I resume my official roll of intelligence asset and know what the hell is going on?"

"Anna was reviewing our conversations with Allison, and she may have made a discovery." Manning made a face at John and looked between the two of them.

"I've been over it a dozen times and I didn't see anything." He shook his head.

"That's because you've never heard of Project Orpheus." Anna said softly.

"Orpheus?"

"Greek God. Played the lute." John supplied helpfully.

"Ah, right to the nymphs." Todd recalled Allison's rant, he stopped to rub his face. "So we're here in my secret lair's, secret lair to talk about Perkins' taste in music or-."

"Five years ago my ex husband was involved in illegal medical project called Orpheus. He brought at least six people back from the dead." She said bluntly, watching Todd Manning's head snap up. "I thought you might find that interesting."

…

"Wake up." It was midnight in Tahiti and as usual Todd was on video chat.

"Lords don't sleep." Victor growled, running his hand over his head.

"I need you to do something for me." Todd cut to the chase. "I can't tell you why."

"This again? I thought you were done playing James Bond?" His brother smirked.

"They can't get enough of me." The other man grumbled.

"What are my orders. Boss?"

"I need you to make a list." His brother touched the screen. "I'm already starting it in my head. Of all our relatives that have allegedly died, but could numerically still be alive."

"What?"

"Like start at the top, Dear old Dad. Already returned from the dead once. Probably couldn't still be alive, he'd be like what? 110? Besides I don't know if you remember I had a nice little cuddle session with his corps. It was pretty legit."

"God, why would you-?" Victor gagged a little. "You know I don't even like thinking about your good memories, you asshole."

"Okay. We had an aunt, she seems pretty dead, Vicki's mom.. Seems like she's the type to stay dead. Clayton Powell, gonna go with dead.. All's good there." Todd ignored them. "Moving on. To our generation."

"Vicki." Victor shrugged.

"Alive. Only technically dead the once and Dorian had her eyes on her the whole time. Next?"

"Merrie."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's actually gone. Too bad, I think I'd have really liked her." He sighed heavily. "Then Tina-."

"No." Victor shook his head. "The other guy. The first, first born son."

"Huh? Oh right. Our cousin who turned out to be our cousin and our sibling." Manning chewed on his lip. "Damn our father was disgusting. Sleeping with his daughters friends and his wife's relatives."

"Didn't you have a thing with Kelly?" Victor asked absently, trying not to think too hard about his father, visions of his corps dancing across his Todd memories.

"No God. No! You had a thing with Kelly. Christ. YOU!" Todd looked like he was going to gag now. "Jesus."

"Oh, that's right." Victor shrugged. "That was me."

"Ew." Lord chuckled at his brothers reaction. "Can we focus on our big bro here? Jesus."

"Tony." Victor supplied. "His name was Tony. He died on location for a story with the Banner. Body never found."

Todd nodded, moving back to the table and typing something in. A photo of the man and an article covering his death popped up on the screen.

"He'd be what? 70?"

"Yeah probably little bit older." Victor sighed.

"Probably?" His twin groaned.

"He's been dead for like 30 years Todd, I don't think I've sent him a birthday card."

"What the hell do we know?" Todd whispered. Victor tapped at his computer until he had what he needed.

"Nothing, he left a widow. She left town along time ago. Never really bonded with Vicki or anything. He had a kid he never knew, kid died in a hit and run not long after he found out about him." Victor read from the notes he had in front of him before sending it over to Todd. Manning looked at them half interested, until his eyes fell on the word he'd been searching for. "Looks like his name was Brian."

…...

"There you are." Blair stood watching her husband, his fingertips scrolling across the screen in his hand. "Our bed hasn't been slept in."

"Yeah well…" He sighed.

"Lord's don't sleep." She finished. He looked up at her taking in her disheveled appearance.

"I don't sleep well without you." He said instead, shrugging his shoulder.

"Sorry." She exhaled slowly. "I couldn't let her go."

"It's okay. I had early morning visitors anyway."

"What?" Her body felt the familiar hot rush of terror.

"McBain brought Anna over this morning."

"Did you go to the basement?" She asked carefully, he nodded and she swallowed hard, looking at the floor before backing up out of the room. "I should check on the kids."

"Hey." He called after her, tossing the iPad he was working on and following her into the common area. "Stop, Blair." He grabbed her arm and carefully pulled her back to his body. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere okay?" She pressed her lips together tightly and he rested his head against hers. "I promise."

"I-." She balled his shirt up in her fists. The night she spent away from him in New York had been enough to cause every drop of anxiety to find its way to the surface. The nagging fear that something would take him away again, as it had time and time before, was something they were both all too familiar with.

"I know." He stopped her, taking a shuddering breath she felt him fight to lift his head.

"Come lay down with me." She told him softly.

"What about the tiny terror?" He smirked.

"Jack has her." She brought her hands up to frame his face, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs. "Apparently he and Sam are the only ones who slept last night. Come on."

He nodded, letting her lead him towards the east wing and through the double doors to the master suite. She turned her body, pressing her palms against his shoulders until he sat, and then finally laid on the bed. Blair pulled off each of his shoes, stopping to squeeze the pads of his feet as hard as she could. Her husband rubbed his eyes with his bawled fists, whatever this was, it was big. She crawled up the bed to him, tugging his arms away and kissing him soundly.

"Blair.." He sighed pushing the curtain of her hair away from her face. "I don't even know where to start."

"Is this thing going to come crashing through our lives in the next five hours?" She asked, her voice low and serious.

"I don't think so." He gulped.

"Then sleep." She ordered, laying her head on his shoulder. "You can tell me later."

He took a long, loud, slow breath, wrapping his arms around her as she dropped her weight against him.

"I love you." He voice was high and soft. She clutched at his biceps. "I need you."

"I'm here." She promised, kissing his throat at the edge of his collared shirt. "Sleep."

….


	6. Chapter 6

"So. The FBI paid us a visit this morning?" Blair was sitting at the vanity brushing her hair, he met her eyes in the mirror.

"Anna Duvane did." He sighed. "I'm honestly still not sure if the visit was personal or professional."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she told me classified information, but it was about her ex."

"One of the good guy spies or the bad guy spy?" Blair turned and looked at him, still sprawled out on the bed, his head propped up on his elbow.

"Get this." Todd raised an eyebrow at her. "Neither."

"Seriously, another ex? She's like Vicki this woman."

"Nah, she's not Vicki level bad. Just Dorian level bad." He countered.

"She's still got time." Blair pointed out. "So what does her ex have to do with anything?"

"Apparently the other two branches might not have stayed as dead as we thought." Todd took a breath, sitting up and pulling his legs closer to his body.

Blair continued to stared at him, but he didn't elaborate. She realized that meant he couldn't. She got up from the chair and walked to the bed. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I have Victor working on some things. I'm going call Vicki, there are some things I need to know from her."

"Should I be scared?" She breathed, his lips pursed before he shrugged lightly.

"No more than usual." He decided.

"Are you going to have to-." She rushed the words out of her mouth.

"I told you I'm not leaving." He interrupted, pulling back and framing her face with his hands.

"You told me that over a year and a half ago. We both know things change." She grasped at his wrists.

"Do you need me to say it again?" He smiled. "I'll say it again."

"Todd." She whispered, her eyes filled with tears and she looked away from his face.

"18 months and.." He stopped for a minute, his fingers ticking up in silent compilation. "..eleven days ago, I sat here on this bed." He looped his arms around her angled knees and pulled her up towards the headboard. "That's more like it, just like this."

"Todd." She huffed at his reenactment.

"And got the shock of my life." He settled his palm against her flat waist. "And that's saying something because I've come back from the dead, multiple times."

"Stop." Her protest was a little less ernest this time. She tried not to smile at his teasing.

"And I looked at you and you were terrified. Seriously I've never seen you that scared." The grin was gone, he swallowed hard. "And all I can do is whisper your name. And you said.."

"'Stay.'" She closed her eyes at the memory, feeling the tears slip out of the corners.

"I'm not leaving." He told her firmly, pressing his forehead into her hair. "You could try and kick me out but I don't think I'd get very far."

"Taking down this organization is-."

"Someone else's problem." He finished for her. "My only job. My ONLY job, is protecting this family and I can do that from here." She rearranged herself so she was in his lap, he rocked her slightly. "Right here in our fortress, on video chat with my idiot brother surrounded, by surly teenage boys, a precocious five year old and one tiny red headed terrorist that I would not trade for anything." She chuckled at him. "And you.." He pulled her back, tracing his fingers over her face. "I could have the world in my hand;" his low voice reached into their past. "It wouldn't mean a thing if I didn't have you. Nothing.." He raised his eyebrows at her. "..can change that. You got that?"

"I love you Todd Manning." She whispered softly, slipping her hands into his hair and pressing just enough that he had no choice to move his lips to hers. "I love you."

"I would hope so." He breathed, letting his mouth drop from her lips to her chin to her clavicle. "After all this damn time."

…..

"Oh Well will you look who's finally awake." Sam looked up at his brother, following his eyes to his sister who was wiping the sleep from her eyes. "It's after two you know.""

"For your information it's only eleven my time." She moaned before making a goofy face at her daughter as Sam cut her sandwich in half. "And Hope was up till four."

"Well she was back up at nine. I guess you were here for the Feds then?" Jack asked, giving her a sideline glance before dropping some cut up pieces of fruit onto Merrie's tray, while star dropped in a keurig.

"It was John McBain and Anna Duvane, they're just cops. Hardly Mulder and Scully." She smiled at Jack like he was naive. Sam grunted out a laugh.

"Just cops she says." Jack and Sam exchanged glances. Star brought her coffee to the table and looked back and forth between her brothers.

"What?"

"I thought you were the smart one?" Sam whispered.

"What?" She looked at Jack.

"Anna's Dad's handler."

"Dad's what?" Star snorted, hot coffee splashing onto the table.

"You missed the part where Dad became intelligence asset? Were you on tour or something?" Jack laughed. "Have you seen our 'media room'"

"She just thought he was handy with technology. Like advanced gaming or something." Sam smirked.

"How long-?" Her voice trailed off, unit made sense.

"Two plus years. Since right after he left Llanview." Jack whispered.

"We're not supposed to know." Sam countered. "But he totally knows we know. So we all just pretend."

"Does Dani know?!" Starr asked, her mouth agape.

"Probably." Jack shrugged.

"What the hell?"

"He brought your supposedly dead daughter home. You thought that was just a weekend gig or-" Her younger brother stopped and stared at her for a minute before turning to Sam. "You're officially the smart one."

"Where's dad?" She ordered stiffly.

"Mom made him lie down, he'd been up all night." Jack countered just as stiffly.

"Watch the girls."

"That's what I've been doing." He grumbled back.

Starr Manning climbed the stairs two at a time in outrage like her childhood self would have.

"Dad!" She flung the doors to the west wing open and stomped to the master bedroom. "Dad?"

"What's wrong?" Todd Manning opened the door quickly.

"Did you forget to tell your oldest child you're an intelligence informant?"

"Starr.." Blair got off the bed and moved towards her daughter.

"Because apparently Dani knows and the boys know. Do Hope and Merrie know?"

"Dani knows?" Todd grimaced.

"Why do the boys get to know?"

"The boys live here honey. They lived through that time." Her mother replied.

"How does Dani know?" Todd looked back at Blair.

"Dad!" Starr stomped her foot, Blair smirked at the nostalgic look Todd gave his daughter before pulling her to him.

"You had a lot going on Starr. It's hard to slip into conversation." He sighed into her hair.

"Dad?" Sam called up the stairs. "Dani's on the phone down here, she said your cell was going to voicemail. Anyway she's all pissed that you let Starr come home and not her."

"Of course she is." He mumbled from his daughters hair.

"This is too dangerous." Starr whispered.

"Nah. I can handle your sister." He said pulling away and turning his phone back on. It starting dinging rapidly. He pressed a button. "I'm an asset for the federal government." He winked at her. "Hello Firecracker.."

Stars face flickered with a bit of a smile at her father's nickname for her sister. Blair patted the bed beside herself as he started for the door in the corner that led directly into the media room. "I'm sorry Dani it was an emergency last minute thing. Danielle I said I was sorry."

He rolled his eyes at Blair and she laughed lightly before turning back to Starr.

"You okay?" Her mother asked.

"Me?" She squeaked.

"You." Blair moved her daughters hair from her face. We haven't really had time" to talk. After Cole, I kind of tapped out for a minute."

"I can understand that." Starr whispered. "This is bigger than I thought. I mean. I realized that now. I just thought.. I don't know what I thought. People in our family seem to come back from the dead a lot."

"Baby, you don't know the half of it." Her mother sighed.

The door opened again and her father walked through with a sigh.

"Set another plate for dinner. Your sister will be here in six hours." He said with a shake of his head.

"You sucker." Blair smiled widely at him.

…..

Cord and his father had been playing cards when the man showed up. They exchanged glances, before Clint's face morphed into the vaguely absent, doddering look that he used as a cover. It had taken Cord Roberts a few days to get over how quickly he went back and forth. It had also be like a tiny miracle to realize that the last two years had been an act and his dad was still the same guy he'd always been.

But he was currently starring the cards in his hand like they were something interesting.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." The man asked softly. "I was informed Mr. Buchanan's son was visiting. That's a surprise. He doesn't usually get visitors other than Mrs. Lord. "

"My stepmother had planned to come, but something came up. We didn't want to disappoint Dad." He stuck out his hand and shook it.

"I was hoping to speak with your father alone."

"I share guardianship with my stepmother, so anything you need to say, you can say it with me in the room." Cord said firmly.

"I'd prefer not to."

"Dad is it alright if I stay?"

"Stay as long as you like Cord." Clint commented jovially, like he was hosting him at a party. "We have lots of cards."

Cord smiled at the man. The man grinned back unevenly, clutching his hands together in front of him.

"Dad said someone was talking about my sisters last visit. I'm assuming that was you?" Cord continued.

"Just mentioning how nice it must be, to have the whole family basically under one roof." The man narrowed his eyes at Cord. "You live there as well don't you?"

"Yes. My wife, and our son. He's just moved back after active duty. Taken a job with the police department." He nodded. "We actually have three members of the Llanview PD living in our home." He nodded again. "That's a lot of cops."

"You must feel safe." The man said.

"Very."

"I'm afraid if I'm not going to be able to talk to Clint alone, I'll need Ms. Lords permission for you to attend as well."

"I'll give her a call. I'm sorry I missed your name?"

"Dr. David Hayward." The man said with a shark like smile. Cord returned it, moving into the hallway.

"Manning." He said softly as soon as he was out of earshot. "We got a problem down here alright. Guys name is Hayward, and he's like a snake oil salesman."


	7. Chapter 7

Jack was confused. He watched the pained look on his Aunt Vicki's face before moving his eyes to McBain; who was presenting what they knew about David Hayward and his visit to Uncle Clint.

He was the only one of the Manning kids who had decided to attend the meeting. Starr and Dani were making cookies with the younger children downstairs, but he was sitting stoic, hanging on every word.

"So now we know what we're dealing with." John McBain said in the same calm way he always did.

"We have no idea what we're dealing with." His dad blew air out of his lungs. "This guy can bring people back from the dead. How are we dealing with that?"

"Todd, you don't really think that Tony.." Vicki's voice trailed off.

"Do I really think that your cousin, who was our secret brother for about five minutes, is alive and attempting to collect Lord children to replace his dead son?" Todd rattled off. "Yeah. I think Hope telling us they called Tommy "Brian" is probably a pretty good clue."

"Three Branches. One Tree." Victor muttered, everyone's eyes jumped to him on the screen. "Todd, Blair and I have thought for a while now that Mich Lawrence and Victor Lord were two of the branches. We called them the dead branches. We've been trying to track the living branch, but…"

"Turns out, in keeping with tradition, it might not be as dead as we thought." Natalie turned to face her husband as she spoke.

"Mich is dead." John reassured her. "We know that."

"Not if Hayward revived him." Todd grumbled.

"I don't understand." Vicki whispered, moving her fingers through the Orpheus

files on the table in front of her. "Some of these people died in hospitals, with relatives at their side. Then years later they show up alive?"

"Not much is known about the process." Anna Devane said softly. "I contacted Dixi Martin, one of the..returned. I wanted to see if anything more had been uncovered. Nothing had, however; now that we are sure David is involved, I wanted to make sure that your family had all the information it needed."

"So Hayward's the other branch?" Jack asked slowly from his spot at the end of the table.

"We don't know son." Blair whispered. "It's possible. "

"What do you think?" Todd asked him. Jack's eyes shot to his father who raised his brows at him.

"I don't think it makes any sense." Jack shrugged. "These other people, have a vendetta against us. Why does Hayward give a shit?"

"My thoughts exactly." Todd smiled, glancing at his mother.

"I will say that almost all of David's other.." Devane trailed off, looking for the right word before deciding. "Patients, were people that he had relationships with, unfinished business."

"But none of you have ever heard of him?" Jack scanned the faces in the room, a collection of head shakes and shrugs rippled through the space.

"I will say there is something…" Anna sighed. "This all came about I think.. because David has lost his child. All four of them actually."

"Oh my God." His mother whispered, moving her hand to her chest. His father squinted his eyes like he was in pain. He was glad his sister wasn't in the room.

"So that's motive. Someone could convince him that they deserve us," Jack whispered. "That Uncle Cousin Tony might deserve a collection of Lord children.."

"It's possible." The woman whispered. The room was silent for a moment before Victor grunted uncomfortably, all eyes in the Media room flipped to him.

"I have another.. concern." He murmured. "No proof.." His Uncle looked uneasily at his twin. Jack watched his dad move towards his mother and take her hand in his. "But we don't know the whereabouts of Miles Lawrence. Todd and I have both been looking into it.."

"Shit." Natalie whispered.

"And since we're talking about him and creepy doctors who can cheat death.. we can't assume that-."

"Spencer Truman." Jack felt the name slip out of him as the hot rush of what that meant rippled through him. Victor met his nephew's eyes, he felt the memories move between them. He thought about all the horror that one man had brought on his family all those years ago. "We can't assume that Spencer Truman is dead." He shook his head before standing up abruptly and pacing towards the wall. "He was the one who wiped Margaret's memory. What if-? What if she's not dead either? What if she wants-?" He looked towards the door frantically as his father left his now crying mother and crossed the room in four quick strides.

"Hey. Hey." Todd pulled his son to him by the scruff of his neck. "Sam's safe. You're safe." His father sighed, holding him tight to him and whispering softly. "I've got you."

Jack leaned heavy into him for a minute, only prying is eyes open to meet his mother's tearful gaze before pressing his head into Todd's shoulder for a second before pulling away and wiping and embarrassed tear from his cheek. His dad kept his warm palm cupped around his neck. He looked up at Victor on the screen.

"I want you to fill Jack in on this." He announced. "I think he can help you out. He obviously remembers a fair amount of that time period."

"Like every second." The younger Manning muttered darkly. His uncle Victor nodded at him.

"I should get a picture of this Truman to Pine Valley, see if Dixi or anyone else recognizes him." Anna countered

"And Hope." Jack nodded, and Todd's hand gave a squeeze.

"Hope?" Blair asked, her head bobbing up.

"We should show her pictures of all of them. She recognized Tommy right away. She may be able to name all of them. We'll put some random pictures in there too, just to make sure we're not leading her on."

"That's smart, Jackson." Victor agreed, rubbing his face. "Look I don't want any of this getting out to Sam yet."

"Agreed." Todd's voice was just as protective, Jack watched his mother nod.

…..

"It's like a game." Starr said softly pulling her daughter onto her lap. Dani watched anxiously from an armchair. "Mommy's going to show you a picture and tell you the name of the person in it, and you tell me if I'm lying to or telling the truth. Okay?"

Dani shifted her eyes to her step mother who hovered fretfully in the kitchen, just out of Hope's line of site, before casting her gaze to her brothers on the sofa. Jack's legs were propped on the armrest that Sam was leaning back against, as if he was physically blocking any attempt Spencer Truman or Margaret Cochran made towards the boy. She looked up to the loft. Her father stood, his arms crossed leaning forward slightly, looking out onto the living room. He sensed her looking, turning his head to meet her gaze.

He stood up straight and she climbed the stairs to meet him.

"You okay, Firecracker?" He asked softly, folding her into his arms. She pressed her cheek against his chest.

"Me?" She murmured. "It's the boys you should be worried about."

"I'm worried about all of you." He muttered into her hair.

Out of all of her siblings, Dani had the hardest time falling under her father's spell. Not that Todd hadn't worked damn hard to break her, but it was only when he'd literally crashed through a wall and rescued her from a kidnapping attempt that they'd really gotten to know each other on a deeper level.

Dani remembered little about how she'd ended up in Louisiana with Arturo, being handed over to Allison Perkins, but she did remember the three days she'd spent with her father after her rescue. Every minute of it actually. He'd been homesick and exhausted and lonely, which meant he was a talkative Todd Manning. They'd taken the journey arguing and swapping stories as they had made there way north to a safe house where John McBain was waiting to bring her home.

_"Well aren't you a damn firecracker."_ He'd muttered when she'd started arguing loudly about the ridiculousness of the two of them tromping through the swamp in thick horrible heat. The nickname stuck, and Dani Manning fell for her third Father in a spectacular way. .

"Humm." Dani pulled back and looked at him. "So lets say this is Spencer. We can't still send Sam to school. Or Llanfair, can we? Knowing that they're out there?"

"Sam has great security. Even at Llanfair. Where anyone can just walk in and take a kid; because McBain and the LPD seem to think the fact that they hang their uniforms in closets there means no one can penetrate it's perimeter." He flapped a hand in the air.

"You had great security on me too until I ditched them." Dani countered, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well Sam follows directions better than you." He raised the same eyebrow back at her and her face broke into a smile. "I'll have Blair put Sean on him if it makes you and Jack feel better okay?"

She nodded at the thought of Destiny's brother watching out for hers. A angry guttural sound ground out of the baby monitor that Todd had on his hip and gripped it in his palm.

"The Terror won't sleep." He mumbled, rubbing his finger and thumb into the corners of his mouth.

"Lord's don't sleep." Dani answered robotically, taking the monitor with a smile. ""I'll get her down, tell Blair to call Sean."

"Deal." He cupped the back of her head and pressed a kiss between her eyes before jogging down the steps. Dani made her way into the west wing and to her youngest sibling.

"Who am I?" Dani asked her boldly, crossing her arms across her chest as the little redhead reached out to her. An immediate pout formed on her baby face. "Don't give me that. I invented that."

"Dani." Merrie growled after a few irritated minutes.

"And who am I to you?" She asked pointedly.

"No." Merrie snapped.

"Yes." Dani snapped back. "Unless you want to stay in the crib."

The toddler screeched and fell on to her back like she'd been struck.

"I invented that too. " She huffed. "Who am I to you?"

"Fister." Merrie squealed, kicking a chubby leg.

"Yes. I am your sister Dani and I am the boss of you. Got it, Red?" She clarified, reaching into the crib and collecting her off the mattress. Merrie popped and angry thumb into her mouth and laid her head against Dani's shoulder. Dani pressed her chin to her red curls before exhaling. "Got it."

She moved to the rocking chair and started to rock slowly, she was still there when her older sister opened the door.

"Well?" She whispered breathless, as Starr wiped the hair from her shocked face and picked up a game of Guess Who? off the table.

"She knew Spencer Truman." The words slipped into the space between them.

"Crap." Dani sighed.

"Crap." Merrie answered sleepily.

….

"When this is all over?" Todd Manning whispered, coming up behind his wife as she stood searching the security cameras that had kept watch over their family for the last four years. "We're going to get a new one of those giant portraits done, with all the kids." He wrapped his arms around her. "This time I'm going to have them frame it with glass, so I don't have to pay a small fortune to have it cleaned after you get mad and deface it."

"Hummm." She tilted her head to the side and he kissed her neck. "I like having them all here."

"Me too." He pressed his nose into the back of her ear.

"Feels safer." She looked at the empty apartments the Manning girls had left behind with a sigh. "Why did we decided it wasn't safer?"

"The Feds said it wasn't safer. Keeping up appearances. Everyone going on with their lives." He brought a finger up and moved her hair off her still exposed neck and kissed her again. "You're the one that agreed and said it would be better for them to have autonomy. To have a real life."

"I'm an idiot, why do you listen to me?" She hummed, bringing her hand up and brushing the side of his face.

"You were right." He assured her cupping his palm over the back of her hand and holding her to him. "And after we brought Hope home it was important not to draw attention towards this place and wherever Starr goes, attention follows. I'm surprised the damn paparazzi hasn't shown up yet. They haven't noticed she's been gone?"

"It's only been three days." She cooed, turning her face slightly to touch her lips to his chin.

"That's not possible." He sniffed. "I've done like five days worth of work since then."

"You've been monomaniacal." She tore her eyes away from the live feed of Cutter closing Shelter for the night and turned slowly in his arms. "Tonight we sleep."

"I took a nap today." He shook his head.

"That was yesterday." She sighed, pulling on his arm and leading him through the door that led directly to their bedroom.

"Seriously?" He squeaked.

"Seriously." She countered, undoing the buttons of his shirt and unbuckling his belt.

"Are you coming on to me Mrs. Manning?" He smirked as she pushed the garment off his shoulders and undid the clasp of his pants.

"If it gets you to lay in this bed with me for more than four hours? Yes, I'm coming on to you." She said in a sing song voice.

"I will lay with you any time, Babe." He kissed her clavicle, backing her up towards the bed.

"That moment, with Jack today." She closed her eyes and Todd pulled the blanket down and prodded her to crawl in before tucking himself around her. "He was so anxious Todd, this Spencer/Margaret thing.."

"Yeah. Vic and I talked about it again. He's going to have a chat with Jack about it. Reassure him." She tensed in his arms at the mention of it. "It's about him and Victor Babe." He reminded her. "I wasn't there."

_But you were_, Blair thought. _That was when he was still you_.

"Hey." He breathed into her hair. "Talk to me."

"You know I don't like to think about that time Todd." Her voice sounded icy, even to her, she rolled to face him gripping at his undershirt with her fingers. He nodded.

"You know sometimes we have to." He reminded her. "When it has to do with the kids and their wellbeing, we do."

"Not tonight." She sighed.

"Okay. Not tonight." He kissed her cheekbone at the base of her left eye.

"He kept their doors open." She sighed. "His and Sam's, like someone's going to raid the fortress in the night."

"Dani's asleep in Hope's bed. She didn't want the Terror to be alone."

"They're scared Todd." Blair slid forward until she was safely tucked under his chin. "I'm scared."

"It's gonna be okay." He pressed a kiss to her head.


	8. Chapter 8

"Dixi Martin confirmed that she knew Spenser Truman. She's unsure about Margaret." Anna Devane gave them a grave look. "Pine Valley took David back into custody yesterday. He's not talking. Dixi feels like she may have some sway, and she's going to go see him and ask our questions in person. If anyone can get any information out of him? She'd be that person."

"And if she comes back with something?" Blair asked, leaning forward in her chair. She'd been unable to shake the feeling that something was coming. It had come upon her when Bo had shown up at her doorstep and just stayed.

"Then we send someone to Pine Valley." She looked from Blair to Todd and back again.

"Don't look at me. I know nothing about this Spencer guy other then he was obsessed

with my wife, my brother almost received the death penalty because of him and that he kept Sam from us." Todd lifted his hands up from the table. "Besides I'm retired."

"What about me?" Came a quiet voice from the doorway between Todd's office and the Media room. She hadn't heard it open.

"Jack.." Blair shook her head rapidly.

"Mom.. what if I can stop it?" Her son continued.

"Jack Manning-!" She began turning to look at Todd. She stopped abruptly when she saw the look on his face. "You cannot even be considering-?"

"I'd draw them out." Jack interpreted loudly, locking eyes with his father. "If Victor offered me up.."

"Victor!" Blair yelped. "Did this idea come from Victor? I swear I'll-."

"It's my idea." Jack held up his hands."I haven't even mentioned it to Uncle Victor."

"Todd." Blair whined looking at her husband again.

"Let him talk, Blair." Her husband whispered, taking her hand from where she was twisting it against the other on the table. "Let's hear him out." She tried to pull her hand back angrily but he cupped his other palm against her elbow making it impossible. She glared at him, Todd's expression didn't waiver and her arm went limp. He calmly brushed his thumb back and forth against her fingers. "Go on son."

"They've made it quite clear they want me right?" He said boldly, despite the way his eyes shifted rapidly from the floor to the wall before landing back on his father. Todd nodded. "Well, let them think Victor's back under their spell, let them think he's bringing me into the fold. They'll take us to them. They'll let us in."

"And then they'll strap you to a chair and pump you full of drugs and wipe your memory." Blair told him sharply.

"Not if my backup gets there in time." He sighed, looking at his father. "Besides how many times have I been told I'm just like dad? Maybe I'm brainwash proof too."

"Maybe." Todd said softly. "But I'd rather not test that theory, Son."

"Then let's hope you're as good at this spy thing as they say you are." Jack smiled and Todd smiled back. Blair felt her heart pound in her chest.

"This is insane. It's dangerous."

"So we wait around until they come for Sam? Or do we lock him up here with Hope and Merrie?" Jack came into the room and sat down across from his mother. "What about me, Mom? Can I still go to back to Penn State in the fall? Or do I need to take another year off and hang out here, just to be safe?"

"Jack, I know it's hard-." Blair began weakly, she knew she'd already lost.

"Mom. This has to end." Her son implored, reaching his hand across the table and taking her other hand. "Please."

"I-." She turned to Todd, he squinted back at her pained look."I need a few minutes."

She swallowed hard and gave him a slight smile before standing up and untangling herself from Todd and walking towards their bedroom.

"Dad." She heard her son whisper. "You get it don't you?"

"Yeah, Son I get it, but-." Todd took a staggered breath. "Do you understand what's at risk here Jack?"

"Of course I do."

Blair closed the door and walked slowly to her bed, sinking down into the mattress before she started to sob.

….

Victor Lord had learned to trust his brother over the past few years. He found it irritating that Todd Manning had become his biggest confidant, but in a way it made sense. He still often thought like Todd, which gave the two of them an understanding of sorts.

It had been Todd that had managed to gain a better understanding of the organization. It had been Todd that had managed to infiltrate it and eventually free Victor from it's control.

The fact that Todd seemed so difficult to control is what pissed Victor off in the first place. Irene's tale that Victor had been the slow twin, that Todd was somehow more capable wasn't his favorite theory, but it made sense.

"Our mother was a lying manipulative homicidal maniac. Just because she says you were slow doesn't mean you have to play the part. Seriously Vic, Tina lived with her for 16 years. I know she's a self absorbed idiot but you don't think she'd have noticed a disabled little brother wandering around? She must have stashed you with someone. It's just a matter of unblocking whatever she did to your big ugly head" His brother had told him as they sat side by side one night in Tahiti when Todd and Dani had made the trip to bring Tommy home.

At that point Todd had already started sorting through his missing eight years and had put together a pretty good picture. They'd tried hard to break him, convert him, but they'd failed. Victor on the other hand had seemed to go willingly to the dark side.

It was something he'd wrestled with since an anonymous letter had led Todd to him and Cole in a mental hospital in Rural Delaware. Victor remembered very little about his time in Delaware. The clearest thing he remembered was Todd's voice rising above the din.

"_Come on Victor snap the hell out of it. I need your help_!" It had taken hours of deprograming. It had taken Todd reciting the names of their family members, rhythmically and repeatedly. It had taken Todd growling "_How many times have you fucked my life up and I'm still here trying to save your ass?_" As he tossed him over his shoulder with a grunt and carried him out.

"_That's fucking ridiculous_." Delgado had told him, in their dark bedroom when he had finally managed to tell her about his concern that he was the special needs case that Mommy Dearest claimed he was. That was the thing about his wife, she did not at all sugar coat things to protect his emotions like Blair had.

Blair. That was another problem all together. Since Jack's emotional outburst he had been stuck in memories. Todd memories, about death row, Spencer Truman and Blair.

Victor Lord Jr. divided his memories up into categories. First, Todd's memories,which were not really his at all, just a gift from his mother. Second were his Todd memories, the memories he'd made when he was still Todd, 100% Todd. Third were the memories that he thought of as 'transition memories', when in hindsight he could feel something in himself shifting, changing into something else, not really Todd, but not Victor either, not yet. Finally there were his Victor memories, his own life as his own person. He liked his Victor memories, even the not so pleasant ones. He wanted to fill his head with only those things, gather up as many as he could from his actual past before he'd been sent in as an understudy; a stunt double if you will.

He was only mildly irritated by Todd's memories, they didn't really have anything to do with him now. He thought about them in reference to his brother, clearly seeing them as his story alone. The transition memories were actually nice, he looked at it now as a kind of teenage rebellion in his own life story. When part of him, however small, had started to play out a different way of thinking. When he'd been able to reject some of his brother's thought process. His brother's emotional baggage.

The part he hated, really hated, were his own memories as Todd. When he acted on Todd's emotions, Todd's experiences. The four or so years he'd actually been Todd Manning were some of the most difficult times for him to recall. It was also the times that he knew Blair hated him for. Those years were the reason she was both drawn to, and repulsed by him.

So he was somewhat surprised when he'd answered the to the steady ding of his computer and begrudgingly coded into the secure channel, expecting his brothers face, only to find hers.

"What's the latest emer-?" He rubbed his eyes before glancing up at the screen. "Blair."

"Victor." She quipped. He remembered the last time he'd seen her, desperate and red eyed in the middle of the night, turning to the only person who could help her at the time.

"What's wrong?" He felt the surge of protectiveness that her frightened face invoked.

"Jack wants to risk his life that's what's wrong." She growled at him.

"Blair, while I'm not thrilled-." He tried to push down some of the adrenaline that was making his head spin.

"Not thrilled?!" She shouted.

"He's 22 Blair. Wait no, it's November he's twenty three and he's strong willed and-."

"Strong willed like you and Todd? What could go wrong?" She snapped back.

"You should be talking to Todd about this." He reminded himself he was not Todd. He was not Todd. What about a frightened angry Blair Manning made that so hard to remember.

"I'm talking to you." She sneered..

"I'm not your husband anymore." He sighed.

"YOU WERE NEVER MY HUSBAND!" She shouted her voice so full of venom he leaned back in his chair, needing more distance then over six thousand miles could provide. He waited, watching her face ripple as the rage started to leave her.

"I thought we did this already, Blair." He told her softly. "I mean I know it's not something we can get past, but I thought.." He scratched his eyebrows. "I don't know what I thought."

"All of this. All of this has taken too much from me. Too much from Todd, from our children. I will not give them Jack. I will not risk my son. I will not let them have anymore of our lives."

"They already have us." He dropped his chin to his chest, swallowing hard.

"They do no-."

"You know what I want?" She met his eyes when he lifted his face back up. "I want to spend Christmas with my sister. I want to see the kids all together in front of the damn Christmas tree. You know they've never all been in the same room? All six of them? And my sister, she's getting older and I-." Victor stopped, looking at Blair through glossy eyes. "I just want to spend Christmas with my sister."

"It's not worth risking Jack's life." She pleaded.

"You and Todd have raised these children to be independent, strong willed intelligent adults. You have made them manipulative proof Blair. So that the Max's, Dorian's or Victor Lord Sr's can't try and run their lives. I tried, remember? When the Todd wore off? I tried. Starr would have none of it, but I got to Jack and where did it get him?"

"This has nothing to-."

"It has everything to do with it." He corrected sharply. "Jack is taking control of his life. I'm not going to try and keep him from doing that. You shouldn't either." He paused for a second before finishing. "If you're done yelling at me, I'm going to go help Tommy build a fort and pretend like I'm having a good time"

…..

Todd Manning had surprisingly fallen asleep, jolting awake when his cell phone sounded next to him. He reached for it quickly, hoping it wouldn't wake up Blair, only to find she wasn't there. He frowned as he answered.

"Yeah."

"I think your wife needs you in the Media room." His brothers voice growled out.

"What's wrong?" Todd stood up and grabbed his pants from where he'd flung them over the chair.

"She's not okay with this Jack thing."

"Of course she's not okay with this Jack thing." He muttered. "I'm not okay with the Jack thing."

"I think it brought up some.. stuff." Victor's words slurred together in a rush to get out of his mouth. Todd knew that meant he didn't want to say them.

"What kind of stuff?" He walked towards the adjoining door and cracked it open.

"The whole you were taken away from her and replaced with the cheap copy that she fell for any way stuff."

"That's been brewing for a while I think." He sighed, looking at the condition of the room, it looked like hurricane Blair had hit. She sat in a heap at the table with her head in her arms. He watched her back shake.

"Because she's afraid your going to be taken away again." Victor told him bluntly. "Or go willingly."

"I think it's the latter." Todd huffed. "I gotta go."

He closed the phone as she lifted her head and looked at him.

"I like what you've done in here, homey." He whispered leaning against the wall.

"Did he call you?" She sniffed, Todd nodded. "Tattle tale. Couldn't wait to rat me out."

"He was worried." Todd told her softly. "I'm worried."

"Worried?" Blair snorted. "Not too worried to-." He realized with a tilt of his head she couldn't say it. Her breath hitched and she swallowed a sob. "And take our son with you. Put him at risk. Put yourself at risk."

"We're already at risk."

"Stop saying that!"

"Maybe it's not as real to you as it is to me because you go to Shelter. You go to the store; take the kids to school, stop by LaBoulie and Llanfair." He shook his head. "Maybe that's why you don't get that if by the rare occasion I ever leave this house it's in a bullet proof car with tinted windows."

"What happened to 'I love our life in the fortress'?" She hissed.

"I do." His voice was dangerously low, he took a slow breath to calm himself. Pushing off the wall and leaning over the table towards her. "Both things can be true."

"I don't want to lose you." She whispered.

"Babe.." He stared at her intently. "I have been shot, stabbed, poinsined and tossed off a cliff. I have come back from the dead… two, three times. I have rowed home on a homemade raft. I have spent eight years refusing to be brainwashed. I have lied, cheated, stolen, blackmailed, killed and maimed-." His voice caught as his throat tightened. "To be with you. You will never, ever lose me, Blair." He watched her chest heave as she climbed onto the table and into his arms. Her damp face pressing against his throat. He pulled her off the table and settled them both in one of the chairs, resting his cheek on her head and inhaling deeply. "And I need you to trust me. Trust me that I wouldn't ever let Jack go in to anything without me right there to back him up."

"Who's going to back you up?" She breathed.

"You." He pulled back.

"Me?" She looked at him in surprise.

"I don't go anywhere without you remember?" He arched his eyebrows at her. "You, Victor and I are going to take care of our son." He cupped her face in his hands. "And if anyone gets in our way?"

Blair smiled slyly before whispering against his lips.

"We'll mow them down together."

…..


	9. Chapter 9

"Okay Dad, why the Manning family meeting at six in the morning?" Dani tilted her head and rolled her eyes to her sister. Starr raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms across her chest.

Todd smiled at his daughters before taking a slow deep breath and letting his shoulders drop as he exhaled.

"With everything that's happened, all we've learned.." He gestured for the kids to sit. "The Mannings are going on the offensive.

"The offensive?" Starr whispered softly, the weariness creeping into her tone. "What's that mean?"

Todd looked to where his son had settled into a chair. He walked around the table and dropped his hand on his shoulder.

"Jack is going to help us with our next attempt to uncover the people that are trying to destroy the family."

"Wait what?" Dani's face went blank and she sank into a chair.

"He and Victor are going to an area near Pine Valley to try and infiltrate the facility where they think Truman might be." Todd kept his voice neutral.

"Wait, what?!" Starr mimicked her sister, bringing her hand to her chest like her mother.

Manning's mouth stretched into a long grin, he loved these children. He'd do anything for them, anything.

"Victor is going to pretend to be turned. He's going to make contact and tell them Jack is interested in learning more. That he's curious."

"And they'll jump at the chance." Dani breathed, leaning forward just a little. "They'll fall for it."

"We don't know that." Starr shook her head. "You don't think that they'll just open their arms."

"You don't know them like I do." Dani shook her head, Todd watched her stare at the reflection of herself in the table. "They're hungry."

"Dani's right." Jack whispered.

"Oh so you two are experts now?" She shouted.

"They didn't come for you Starr, you don't understand." Jack met Dani's eyes, and she nodded at him.

"No they just turned my boyfriend and made me think my daughter was dead." She snapped, but her siblings didn't seem to notice, they were still locked on each other.

"No one is saying you haven't been hurt by this, Shorty." Todd said softly.

"So Jack's running off to play secret agent with father number two what the hell are Starr and I supposed to do?" Todd turned towards his raven haired daughter and swallowed hard, but it was her step-mother whose hand came down gently on her arm.

"Starr, you're going to go public." Three sets of eyes flipped to him. "You are going to say you are suspending your tour due to a family emergency. You're going to out yourself as being in Llanview, go to Llanfair and LaBoulie. We want rumors out in the press that something is wrong."

"I've spent the last three years diverting attention from this place-."

"That was defense Shorty, we're on offense now." Todd said quickly.

"And me?" Danielle asked, her brown eyes wide and focused.

"You have the most important job, Sweetie." Blair's voice was still hoarse from sobbing, Todd winced when he heard it. He slid his fingers across her cheek and into her hair and she tilted her head slightly in acknowledgment. "You're going to keep the children safe."

"Babysitting? Can't Aunt Vicki-."

"Dani if this falls apart they'll have the information out of Victor in minutes and they'll come looking for them." Todd said softly, feeling his wife's body shutter beside him. "You think Aunt Vicki can fight them off, Firecracker?"

"Dad." She looked up at him.

"You will take the children to the basement and you will stay there with them until someone comes to get you."

"The basement?" Todd noticed fear in her face for the first time since they'd come into the room.

"Blair and I.." He pressed his palm into Blair's shoulder and she covered his hand with her own. "Are going to back up Jack and Victor. If we aren't successful…"

"They'll weaponize you." Dani swallowed hard.

"Weaponize-." Starr's wide eyes flipped between her parents and her sibling.

"They don't kill people Starr the use them. Haven't you caught on yet?" Jack hissed.

"Jack, the fact that your sister doesn't know is by design." Blair reminded him. Starr looked indigent.

"Well, you better start explaining!" Starr cried.

"Can't stand not being in the action can you?" Jack snorted.

"Jack stop." Blair whispered.

"No Jack's right you guys better start talking!" Starr yelped.

"Afterward." Todd knocked his fist against the table. "We'll get everyone caught up and soothe hurt feelings afterward."

"How will I know?" Dani said softly, tears forming in her eyes. "If it's safe, to let you in?"

Todd's head tipped to the side.

"I'm going to change the codes, Firecracker."

"Dad." She said softly, Todd watched his daughter's eyes start to water.

"Wait who are we giving the code to?" Jack asked in alarm.

"Someone even this organization won't mess with." Blair smiled looking at Starr. She sat up straighter.

"The son of a mobster." Todd announced.

…...

"Starr thank God." Michael's eyes rolled up into his head before he met hers again. "I was starting to get worried. Where the hell have you been? There is a team of photographers roaming my driveway because rumor had it you gave them the slip in NYC and they assume that means you're here."

"I'm in Llanview." Her voice was soft.

"Llanview why?" He made a face. She hadn't been home in over a year and every time he had brought it up she'd gotten teary eyed and waved him off.

"Michael I can't tell you over the phone. I'm going to need you to come here." She chewed on the edge of her finger tip of a second.

"To Llanview." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Please." She whispered. "Can you?"

"Tonight right?" His eyebrows arched. "I'm guessing I'm leaving in the middle

of the night and not telling anyone?"

"Actually no." She took a deep breath. "Leave tomorrow in broad daylight and tell everyone. Make a big production."

…..

"So I just stay here and act like everything's normal?" She from the door of their bedroom as he pulled his suitcase and backpack from the closet.

"That's the plan, yes." Victor ground the words out. He was tired of having this conversation.

"And why can't I go to Llanview?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Tea we've been over this. You going there draws attention to you. It brings you into the story."

"My daughter is already there. You and Todd insist that my son needs to be there. I don't think that it would be that out of character for me to be there." She shouted.

"No one knows Dani's there." He rubbed his face. "And Tommy should have been there all along. It's the safest place in the damn world for him to be. It was a damn act of mercy that Todd brought him here."

"Oh yes, Merciful Todd Manning." She mocked.

"Tea!" He yelped turning around and taking her by the shoulders. "I have to worry about Jack. I have to worry about not turning back into a killing machine. I have to worry about being used to hurt my own family. I cannot worry about your hurt feelings." She looked away, bringing her hands up and hooking her thumbs around his. "I'm taking Tommy to be with his brother and sister. Dani will keep the younger kids safe. Todd and Blair and I will keep Jack safe. We'll end this."

"And I'll go to work and act like nothing's wrong." She pouted.

"For now." He nodded. "You've been done with the Manning's and the Lord's for years now remember? You got out. Which is what you can tell them when they come here looking for comment."

"Fuck them all." She mumbled as he pulled her to his chest.

"I mean if you want to ad lib." He snorted, kissing the base of her throat.

"Oh don't worry I will." She teased, but the anger had left her and he could feel it. Her fingers rubbed against the muscles of his back. "I'll have no problem spouting out my rage."

"I like your rage." He told her blankly, pressing his nose into her chin. "It's hot."

"Yeah?" She raised her eyebrows. "Good thing because I'm pretty pissed off."

"Show me." He pulled her backwards until his legs hit the bed.

…..

"Mom?"

Blair looked up at her son as they drove thought Llanview.

"Jack?"

"I just.. " He swallowed hard. "I'm just really going to sell it in there okay?"

"Good. I needs to be real."

"I just.. I want you to know I don't mean it." He whispered.

"Oh Honey." She reached across the car and laid her hand on his arm.

"I'm going to say things, about you and Dad." He glanced at her, then out the window. I need you and Sam to know I'm going to say really awful things, but I don't mean it."

"We know." She slid over on the seat and took his hand. "Jack we know."

"I'm going to say things about Dad, I would have said before, you know? Before I really knew him." He looked at Sam. His brother nodded. "Scarface, the whole bit."

"Your Dad loves you Jack." She said softly. "And he knows you love him." Her son nodded his head before taking her hand and squeezing as they pulled up to the Palace. She looked across the car at Sam. "He knows we're a family. Nothing anyone says is going to change that."

"Ready?" Jack exhaled, looking from Sam to his mom and back again. "It's gonna be big."

"Let's do it." Sam shrugged. "Let's remind Llanview nobody makes a scene like a Manning."

….

"Hey." Todd said quickly. "You get it?"

"Did I get it!" Jess exclaimed loudly. "You have no idea."

"Was it good?" He laughed.

"He threw a full plate of food Uncle Todd, it's all over MyFace. It's glorious."

"That's my boy." He whispered, pulling up the Sun's website on his computer.

"Blair cried. Sam yelled at him to get out and never come back it was AMAZING!"

Todd watched the scene unfold. His son had pulled out all the old favorites. _'He killed my Dad.' 'Scarface.' 'Gave me away as a baby.' _He'd sung all the greatest hits.

"Okay. So Vic gets in around seven, I need you to get a crew out there as loudly as possible to film Starr's fake arrival. It'll give Natalie and John enough time to get Victor off the Plane and back here."

"I'll start giving out orders, loudly, at the coffee shop." Jess sighed.

"Good Girl." He grinned watching the Sun's website views increase before his eyes.

"Also Blair's going to drop off Sam tonight. He wants to spend hang out with Bree before he heads off to the Basement."

"He's avoiding Victor?"

"I think so." Todd sighed. "I don't think he minds. The only person he asked to see

was Vicki."

"You sure he's up to this?" She sighed back.

"Vic's fine. This is all going to work." He stopped for a minute. "Did John up security at Llanfair?"

"CJ's here all weekend." Todd rolled his eyes at Jess' feeble whisper. "And we'll have Sean."

"You should take me up on my offer and bring the kids here Jessica."

"They're safe there." She said softly.

"I hope so." Todd gave her a long look.

"My kids haven't be targeted Uncle Todd. "

"Because Natalie walked in on your father's induction ceremony." He snorted. "Allison didn't get to finish the job."

"Maybe. Or maybe they're not Lord enough." She shrugged.

"Are you saying my kids are more Lord than yours?" He grimaced.

"Well Mannings are their own breed." She grinned.

"That they are, but I still want you to be careful. Especially when you have my kid there."

"I'll have CJ watch him like a hawk."

"Good deal." He pointed at her.

"Be safe, Uncle Todd." Jess said softly.

"I'll see you soon." Todd winced before closing the call from his favorite niece. He left his office and made his way down the stairs as the door opened.

"Hey!" He yelped holding up his tablet. "You missed your calling. You should have gone to acting school, seriously you did amazing."

"Yeah." Jack smiled weakly. "I trashed my father and made my mother cry. Amazing."

Todd tossed his arm around his son.

"You did what you needed to do." He rubbed his hand up over Jacks' head.

"Yeah." He said softly as Todd's arm started to pull away. "Dad?"

Todd stopped, turning back just as Jack crashed into him.

"Jack." Todd closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around the young man.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"You did great, Son." He cupped his hand on the back of his neck.

"No for.. before." Todd could hardly hear him, Jack somehow pressed further into his shoulder. "When you came home."

"Hey." He pushed his son back and put a hand on both of sides of his face. "You weren't wrong." He laughed. "Not back then. You weren't totally wrong."

"You're my Dad." He whispered shaking his head. "I should have.." He shook his head again.. "I was worried about myself. About what happened with Gigi. I thought Victor could-."

"You were my son." Todd smiled widely at him. "You were just like your old man. Looking out for yourself." He laughed.

"You look out for me." Jack sniffed. "And mom and Sam and the girls."

"So do you." He pulled him back to his chest. "So do you John Cramer Manning, which is what you did today. And your dad is thrilled and you can call me any name you want, and I'm still gonna love you and be your dad okay?"

Jack nodded into his shoulder.

"Now go up and make sure you have everything we need. Okay?" He pulled back, wiping his face dramatically before heading upstairs.

"What was that?" Todd turned to Blair.

"You being right again." She sighed, taking the place in his arms their son had just vacated.

"How's that?"

"The kids." She swallowed hard. "They're not alright, Todd."

"They're Mannings." He raised an eyebrow. "Of course they're not alright."

"Todd-."

"Shh.. it's going to be okay." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Let's have a nice night."

….

Michael Corinthos had exited private planes with his girlfriend many times. He'd never been ushered onto one as it pulled through a secured hanger by an FBI agent moments before her until today. Looking out the window he could see her hugging a man in a hoodie who was quickly lead away to a black tinted sedan. She climbed the stairs and kissed him soundly as the plane moved out of the hanger and they deplaned as if they'd just arrived from New York.

"You going to tell me what's going on?"

"When we get to my mother's." She told him nervously.

"Starr I haven't seen you in over a month. You go quiet for five days and now you want me to wait until we get to your moms?"

"I love you." She said quickly, reaching out and touching his face.

"I love you too, what's happening."

"I-." She looked down at her hands. "Michael I don't know if you're going to want to be with me after you hear what I have to say."

"Starr what's going on?" Michael's hand closed over hers.

"You know how we like to play '_Who's family is more complicated'?" _She looked at him with her heavy lidded eyes. He nodded. "I'm going to win."

"Tell me."

"When we get to my mom's."

The pulled into the outer garage and the guard looked into the car.

"Ms. Manning." He nodded at her. "Mr. Corinthos If you could place your left hand on the pad please, Sir." Michael did as he was told. "Your right hand. Look here please, Sir." The man snapped a photo, Michael blinked hard.

"What was that?" He asked his girlfriend quietly.

"Retinal scan." Starr murmured.

"To get into your house?" He blinked again as she watched his pupil slowly dilate.

"Yes." Her lips pressed together before raising an open hand and shaking it victoriously. "Winning."

"We're cleared, Ms. Manning." She watched Michael jump when the driver exited and the steel inner door started to lift and the car rolled in. She met his eyes and swallowed hard as the door lowered and the green light flashed and the car doors unlocked. She grabbed her bag and handed him his and walked towards the elevator.

Starr pressed her finger against the keypad and opened the elevator door. She turned to him and for a second she thought maybe she'd tell him it all right now. Then she remembered her mother's terror at even saying Hope's name outside the house. She took Michael's hand in hers. The door opened into the outer lobby and no she key'd in the number. She pulled him into the inner lobby before turning to look at him.

"Fort Knox." He mumbled.

"What's in here is more precious than what's at Fort Knox." She told him her finger hovering over the code box for just a second before she pressed it onto the pad.

"Visitor detected." The system reported before it started counting down. Starr took his hand and pressed his index finger into the pad. "Michael Corinthos. Confirmed."

"Validate." Breathed Starr, hitting the button again. She finally opened the door.

"We're here." She called quietly.

"Hi Michael." Blair Manning smiled from the dining room. "It's good to see you."

He nodded at her before his eyes drifted to the other two people in the room and Starr watched the color drain from his face.

"Corinthos." Todd said softly, next to him Victor said nothing. Starr took his hand in hers.

"There's more." She told him softly.

"She's upstairs." Blair whispered. "Why don't you introduce them, and then Michael can come down here and we'll fill him in."

…

Sam Manning was starting to regret leaving home. His cousins were heavily engaged in the movie they were watching, he couldn't stop thinking about his family. He glanced over at Sean who was lazily texting, his shoulder propped against the door almost like his job was to keep Sam in, instead of keep intruders out.

He pulled out his phone and tapped a message to his mother.

_Can I come home?_

He waited for her to ask why, or complain he should have left with aunt Vicki or do any of the other things he knew she would want to do.

Instead she replied: _Ten Minutes._

That was all. He stood up and made his way over to Bree.

"My mom needs me to come home." He whispered softly.

"Bummer." She rolled her eyes and looked back at the movie. "I'll see you at school?"

"Yeah." He lied, giving Sean a quick look he gestured at the door. "Mom's coming."

He looked like he might argue before his phone chimed and he gave it a quick glance before nodding at his young charge. He followed him down the steps as Sam grabbed his bag and wandered into the library.

"I'm going to go check the perimeter. Stay in the house."

Sam nodded. He was scanning the photos on the wall, wondering how many of these dead relatives were really dead when the door chimed.

"Victor." Natalie gasped. Sam's eyes wiped around to the figure in the doorway. There stood his father with a smirk on his face. "I thought you were staying at Todd's"

"I wanted to see my sister." He looked past her to Sam. "Sammy! There you are!" He reached out his arms and that's when Sam noticed it. The thick black curve of a curled 'branch' peeking out from the sleeve of his shirt. His eyes darted back to the man for just a fraction of a second before he sprinted into the kitchen and up the backstairs.

"Sam!" He heard the man call.

"Hold on a second!" He heard Natalie yell."

"Bree!" He yelled down the hall crashing into the playroom.

"What?"

"Come on!" He yelled grabbing Liam by the arm. "Get Ryder, come on!" He could hear footsteps coming up the stairs front stairs. "Carriage House! Now! Run!"

He pushed his cousin's past him and raced back down the steps as CJ came out of his room.

"Walker Lawrence." He yelled at him, still pushing at his cousins. "It's not Victor. It's Walker Lawrence. Help Natalie."

"Sam wait." CJ yelled after him, before turning towards the argument that seemed to be escalating in the fourier.

"No! Help Natalie!" Todd Manning was nothing if not thorough, in all of his discussions with his youngest son about his trips to Llanfair he had been especially detailed about the emergency plan. Carriage House. Activate. Hide. He shoved Bree again, practically lifting three year old Liam off his feet. "Carriage House."

The kids busted out the kitchen door and ran over the damp grass and almost directly into Sean.

"Walker Lawrence." Sam heaved breathlessly as Bree entered the door code. He pointed back at the house. "Go."

He shut the door firmly in his bodyguards face, pushed his cousins back into the smaller bedroom and fished his phone from his pocket opened an ap and hit the red button he'd never thought he'd ever need.

….

"Emergency Beacon Activated." The Fortresses security system announced unceremoniously. Todd Manning shot to his feet.

"Who?" He shouted back into the air.

"Sam Manning. Location 1177A Regency Drive."

"The carriage house." Victor announced.

"Dad?" Jack yelled from upstairs just as Dani came through the other door with the younger children. She clutched the terror to her chest with one arm and boosted Tommy further onto her hip with the other.

"Media room." Todd yelped watching as Jack took Merrie from his sister and grasped Hope by the arm. "Starr go."

His daughter hesitated for a moment, but Vicki gripped her arm until she rose, taking her aunts hand. Michael started after her but Todd gestured to him. Grasping his phone in his hand as it started to ring.

"Are you where I told you to go?" He said without any fan fair.

"Yes. Dad it wasn't Victor." Sam heaved. "It was Walker Lawrence. I know it."

"You saw Walker Lawrence?" He raised his eyes to Victor who cursed under his breath.

"He still had the tattoo." His son's breathless assertion made Todd grip the phone tighter. "Victor doesn't have the-."

"Sam do you remember what I told you?" Todd's voice was stern and calm.

"Yes. I have Bree and the boys. We're in the little bedroom." Sam breathed.

"Okay listen to me." He said sharply. "There is a keypad in the closet. The code is your home code Sam. Just type it in okay? Then keep the kids quiet until someone comes to get you."

"Okay."

"You're going to be okay, Son."

"Mom." He whispered. "She was coming."

"Your moms' fine. Stay quiet. I'm going to give the phone to Victor now. He's going to take it to Jack you stay on the phone with your brother but don't say anything unless you have to okay."

"Okay." He whispered.

"You're safe Sam." He told him again. Handing his brother the phone.

"Tell Jack to lock down the Media Room. Call Blair." He told him, grasping Michael by the arm. "We have work to do."

….

"Todd?!" Blair Manning shouted into her phone.

"It's Victor."

"Victor?"

"Todd took Michael to the Basement to reset the codes."

"Now?!"

"Yes now." He huffed. "Where are you?"

"The driver changed directions. Is Sam-?"

"He's in the safe room. Jacks' on the phone with him right now."

"The kids-."

"Media room" Victor sighed. "We're all in the media room."

"Listen, I won't be able to enter the building while Todd's in the Basement."

"Blair don't go to Llanfair." She looked out the window at the dozen or so police cars that zoomed by her.

"Victor I-." She shook her head.

"Sam's safe. Don't go to Llanfair." He ordered.

"I can't just.."

"Yes you can." He assured her. "Our son did exactly what Todd taught him to do. He has his cousins with him and they are in a secure room. Do not go to Llanfair."

"Okay." She whined. "I don't have much say anyway. The driver seems to know what to do."

"I'm sure Todd left detailed instructions." Victor snorted.

"Are they scared?"

"The little ones? No. Danielle put on Moana, they're transfixed." He chuckled. "I've never seen it as an actual media room before."

"Multipurpose." She whispered. "I should-."

"Stay on the phone with me." He whispered back, closing his eyes. "Just.. stay on the phone with me."

"Okay." Her voice had lost a little of its panicked edge. "I'm here."

…..

"I need you to watch me very carefully." Todd's voice was low. "My children's lives depend on you getting this right." He tapped furiously at the keyboard. "Right hand." He ordered tapping some more as Michael lowered his hand to the pad. "I want you to create a code that means something to you. It.. can't be a birthday or a date or a phone number. Make it a sentence. Something that you won't ever forget, but no one else would understand. Not even Starr."

"Okay." Michael answered softly.

"Left hand." He complied with the demand.

"Then. After we are gone. After my kids are in this room." He swallowed again. "You call Tea Delgado in Tahiti and you tell it to her." He turned to face Michael, his eyes boring into his. "You don't tell anyone you did that. You don't mention that you have ever spoken to her. Not even to Starr. Do you understand."

"I understand."

"My daughter loves you." Todd said flatly. "That should make me hate you but for some reason it makes me trust you. So.. " He shook his head. "Tea Delgado."

"Tea Delgado." He repeated.

"Put in your code." Todd whispered taking a few steps away from the keyboard and rubbing his face. "Trust the son of mobster with the lives of your family. Nice Manning, nice."

"It um.. says system transferred."

"Okay." The older man gulped. "So you get in the elevator and what button do you press?"

"None. I key in the first code and press my thumb to the pad."

"Good." He quipped. "Then what?"

"It will stop here and I thumbprint again."

"Good."

"Then password to lift the steel barrier." He sighed.

"Good." He swallowed hard. "Tea Delgado."

"As soon as they're in there." He remembered, as Todd pressed him into the elevator. "Mr. Manning?" He mumbled as the door closed.

"Yeah, Kid?" He breathed, pressing his back against the elevator door.

"I love her too." He confessed.

"Good to know." Todd grumbled, as the doors opened the keyed back into the house. Todd headed up the steps with Michael on his heels and knocked on the door of the Media room.

"It's Dad." He called and Dani opened the door and he folded her into this arms. He glanced over at Victor who had the phone against his ear.

"Todd's back." He heard him whisper.

"Is that my wife?" He handed him the phone. "Hey."

"Why am I in the police garage Todd?" She asked softly.

"Must have been the closest secure location." He sighed.

"You turned over the keys to the Kingdom?"

"Just the secret parts." He grinned a little.

"Todd?" Vicki called. "Natalie says the LPD have the situation under control."

"She use the code word?" He mumbled.

"She used the code word." Vicki smirked back at him. Todd walked across the room to the control panel and tapped at it for a second.

"Go get the kid." He told Blair softly. "Love you."

"I love you." She told him before hanging up.

"_Todd we don't need to create a safe room at Llanfair! Todd you'll damage the original walls! Todd if you feel the need to secure something secure the carriage house!"_ Todd was doing his best worst impression of Vicki, with a sly grin. She returned it. "Now do you believe me?"

"We'll update." She relented.

"You bet you will. You're getting a gate and a guard house." The screen behind him blinked and he pressed a button as Jessica appeared on the screen. "Steel shutters." He turned to his niece. "Where were you?"

"The Sun. The steel shutters are a nice touch Mom" She gestured behind her at the rising curtains of metal before returning her wary gaze to her uncle. "I'm rethinking my offer. If you have room for Bree and Ryder.."

"Of course we do." Dani answered, her arms wrapped tightly around her youngest brother as Tommy starred at the larger screen where they were singing about coconuts.

"Convince your sister it's what's best for Liam." Todd said quickly.

"I'll talk to her." Jess whispered.

"Blair's on her way to pick up Sam."

"I'll meet her there." Jess nodded gathering her purse. "If they'll let me out."

"I called the all clear." He sighed, rubbing at his face again. Jess nodded and ended the connection.

….

"Mom's coming Sam." Jack told his brother through the silent line. "They got him. You guys can come out as soon as mom gets there."

"They got him?

"Yeah." Jack assured. "You did good Sam."

Sam smiled a little as his brother hung up and he heard the creaking sound of the steel barrier beginning to lift. He stood up slowly reaching out his hand to Bree who watched the door warily. "It's my mom." He told her.

It turned out to be both of their mothers, followed soon by at disheveled Natalie and a worried John McBain. After everyone had been properly hugged and checked over for any scratches that may have occurred they were loaded up with Aunt Tina and her little dog too. With that the Bucanan branch of the Lords headed off to the fortress. Sam had never been so happy to hear the steel garage door click into place. He stood with his mother in the lobby as their town car was traded out for McBain's police vehicle. She ran her hand across his shoulders.

"You did good Sam." She told him softly.

"Was he there for me?" He asked quietly. "Or for them?"

"We don't know." Blair stepped closer and her son leaned back into her.

"It was probably me though right? Since it's Spencer Truman and my crazy birth mom?"

"What?"

"The third branch. It's them right? I mean they were in the photos. Hope knew Spencer."

"Sam.."

"I'm just saying. Just because no one tells me doesn't mean I don't hear things." He looked up at her. "It's not too far of a stretch to think they were after me."

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry." Her shoulders sagged.

"I'm not a little kid anymore." Sam told his mother.

"You're right, you're not." She smiled at him, as the Buchanan cousins filed out of the car. "And your Fathers and I have to stop treating you like you are."

"Father." He whispered. "I only have one father."

Blair glanced at him, her mouth slipping open, but whatever response she may have had faded into the sound of the Buchanan kids chatter. Blair led them to the elevator without saying another word to her son.

…..

Blair met her husband's eyes over the crowd of people in their living room. He gestured towards the stairs and she nodded, steering her youngest son along with her. Sam wrapped his arms around him and Todd's lids sunk shut.

"You did good Buddy." He was whispering when Blair leaned her face into his shoulder. "Just like we talked about."

"Sam needs to talk to his Daddy." Blair told him softly in his ear. Todd's eyes drited toward Victor but Blair shook her head. "Take your son upstairs, Todd."

Manning swallowed, leaning over and kissing his wife before lifting the gangly preteen off his feet and carrying him like a child up the steps. Blair looked at Sam''s skinny legs as they knotted themselves around her husbands waist.

"Is he okay?" Jack asked quickly, slipping his hand across her back.

"He's growing up. We don't give that enough attention." Blair said softly.

"He did so good today." Jack smiled proudly.

"And now he's a sad little boy who needs his Daddy." She rubbed her face.

"There's a lot of that going around." Jack shrugged with just a touch of self consciousness. Blair hugged him to her side.

"Looks like we're having a party." She sighed looking out at the crowd of Lords in her living room.

"Weird having this many people here." She and Jack watched as babies were passed around and hugs were given. She watched Starr awkwardly introduce Michael. She watched McBain cross the room.

"I need to talk to Manning."

"His son needs to talk to him more." Blair told him defensively, John relented with quick nod.

"We need to reevaluate." He continued. "We need to question Lawrence. Maybe we can use it to our advantage."

"Victor can pose as Walker." Jack realized, nodding slowly.

"It may be an even better option." The cop's eyebrows rose. "Natalie.. and I…" He turned and looked at Blair. "We um.. we're going to.. leave Liam here with Dani."

"It's a good decision." The tall blonde smiled sweetly.

"He'll be happier, with Bree and Ryder." John nodded.

"Where's Uncle Todd?" Jessica asked, sliding up to Blair with her phone on her ear.

"With Sam." Blair told her pointedly.

"I just wanted to update him." She sighed. "We're saying a family dispute led to police being called to Llanfair. Mom's calling the Banner that's what they're going to run with too, and ask for privacy. It'll give Jack and Victor's cover some more credibility tomorrow."

"Good thinking." She sighed, pulling her son a little closer. Blair looked across the room where Victor stood a little too stiffly next to his sister. She felt it again, the sickly dizzying feeling of two Todd Mannings.

"You okay?" Jack whispered as John and Jessica made there way back to the group.

"I think my adrenaline is wearing off." She smiled at him. "I'm going to check on your father."

Todd met her at the door of the east wing.

"How's Sam?" She asked as he winded his arms around her and leaned them back against the wall.

"He's okay. He's going to take a few minutes and then he'll be down." Todd laid his cheek against her face and she could feel him sigh. "That was too close Blair."

"I know." She whimpered.

"I think the LPD saw this coming." He breathed. "That's why Bo ran the check."

"He thinks you're involved?"

"Yeah. And not in a good way." He pressed the back of his head against the wall and ran his hands up into her hair. "The Sun needs to float this. We may be able to use Walker to our advantage."

"Your niece is way ahead of you." She smiled. "Jess has the story on lock down and advised Vicki on how to spin it to the Banner."

"Well oiled machine." He sighed.

"It's helpful when one family runs all the print media outlets in town." She remined him.

"Helpful." Todd grinned, before filling his lungs as fully as he could and pressing his forehead to hers. "You okay?"

"I'm a Manning, I'm never okay." She raised an eyebrow.

"I know Victor is-."

"I don't' want to talk about Victor." She interrupted.

"Don't you think we should?" Brought his hands to her face and framed her cheeks.

"No." She countered, lifting and eyebrow. He gave her a sad smile and pressed his lips to hers.

"You think they'd notice if I just took you to the bedroom right now?" He asked honestly.

"Your public awaits." She remind."Everyone wants a piece of Todd Manning."

"Humm." He laughed at her innuendo. "You're the only one who gets one."

"The only one?" She arched an eyebrow.

"In the last like twenty two years, twenty six if you don't count that one little slip up down there." He chucked his thumb over the railing at Dani.

"What about that one's mother?" She countered with a sly look pointing at her daughters boyfriend. She could see him gulp.

"Two slip ups." He shrugged. "That one was your fault."

"My fault?" She squeaked.

"You rejected me." He countered. "In my grief, I reached for the next mouthy leggy blonde that crossed my path. Pale immitation." She rolled her eyes at him. "Hey besides Jr, you've slept with both of the men in my living room right now." She bit her lip and looked over the rail again before shrugging at him. "Uh huh."

"I'm not going to win this one." She shook her head at him, he joined her with a slow grin. "I should quit while I'm ahead."

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her soundly.

"Todd?" Victor's voice carried up to the loft and he rolled his eyes.

"Vic?"

"Could you maybe remove your lips from Blair and come join the rest of us?" His blank tone made her grin despite herself.

"In a minute." Manning answered haughtily before returning to kiss his wife again. She ran her hand across his face and around his ear. "We'll finish this later."

"Bet on it." She sighed, pulling away and taking his hand as the walked down the staircase and back in to offensive mode.


	10. Chapter 10

They discussed the revised plans over three pans of lasagna Blair had sent up from the restaurant. Sam had appeared at some point, deciding on a seat beside his older brother rather than eating in the kitchen with the rest of the kids.

Victor looked from him to Blair, but she was purposely avoiding his gaze. Her hand firmly entangled in Todd's. For the first time I found himself wishing Tea was there. She tempered some of the pull towards his brother's wife.

"So." He cleared his throat. "I'm going to need to talk to Walker." All eyes at the table shot to him. "Tonight."

"That's a terrible idea." His brother snorted.

"It's a great idea." Victor countered. "He'll be thrilled to see me. I'll give him a few lovely catch phrases and he'll accept me as the prodigal son. He'll tell me where to take Jack. Hell, we might not even need to take Jack anywhere."

"Riiiiggghttt." Todd nodded. "That's how easy all this is. That's how I found you. I just walked in, whispered a few lines of scripture and they were like, right this way Mr. Manning."

"Then enlighten me, Wise One!" Victor sneered back. "How do we play this?"

"I don't know." Todd answered honestly. "But I know you don't go charging in there and get yourself turned in the first five minutes."

It stung. It stung worse that everyone at the table noticed how bad it stung. For the first time all night Blair's eyes had flicked towards his and he didn't like what he saw it them, they both looked quickly away.

"Boys maybe this should be a private conversation." Vicki said softly.

"Yeah." Todd whispered, picking up his fork and moving the food around his plate before dropping it and rubbing his face. "Sorry."

"You're not wrong." Victor sighed, leaning forward and propping his chin up on his elbow. He pinched at the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"We decided that Tina and mom will stay here while you all are gone." Jess added in a brave attempt to move the conversation back to neutral ground. "It's safest."

"I like that plan." Todd whispered.

"Me too." Victor chimed in.

"Oh yes." Vicki slid her eyes between the two of them before making her voice sound ancient. "Someone has to look after poor mother."

Victor looked at his sister and winced.

"You don't suppose Mommy Dearest is still alive?" Victor asked. "Or re-alive or whatever it is we're calling it."

For the first time in a long time Victor thought his twin looked genuinely afraid when he glanced back at him, his mouth slipped open and his face stilled. Victor found it extremely unnerving. He moved his eyes to Blair who had her lip between her teeth and was leaning just a little more heavily against Todd's shoulder. He watched her rock back and forth and he could almost feel her hands stroking the muscles of his thigh. Todd swallowed hard, his chin jerking towards his wife, like he had just been reminded in that very moment that she was there. Or more likely that he was there, at the dining room table surrounded by his relatives.

"I hadn't really.." He cleared his throat. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"I didn't mean to-." Vicki looked between her brothers.

"No. No I mean, it's a good question. We kind of got stuck on Tony I mean it could have just as easily been her. She was obsessed with Jack. He was one of the first-." He gulped heavily. "Targets. It-." He pulled his napkin off his lap and tossed it on the table. "We should-." He nodded over his head towards the stairs. "We should run that."

Victor turned to look at the kitchen with more than a little longing.

"Todd, you know, Victor just reminded me earlier in the week that we've never had all the kids together before." Blair said soothingly, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly. "How nice it would be, to get some pictures. Maybe tell some old family stories?"

"We don't want to give the kids nightmares, Babe." He muttered.

"Todd." She cooed, splaying her fingers up his shoulder to his neck.

"No. Hey Vic you should stay." He nodded. "Catch up with Vicki and everyone. I'm gonna-." He pointed upstairs again. "Victor knows all my stories anyway, he can tell them." The table watched him go in silence.

"Sorry." Victor muttered to Blair when they heard a door shut upstairs.

"That really shook him." Dani breathed, her lips as motionless as her father's had been moments before. Her eyes darted to her Uncle who tried to smile in reassurance.

"Your Dad's just really focused on the mission." He told her lamely.

"Jack, Honey, will you make sure everyone has what they need?" Blair asked airily. Her palms pressed against the table as she rose. "Todd's right." She looked at him now and her attempt to save face for her husband made Victor feel things he didn't want to feel. "You should stay." She elongated the a, her mouth splitting into a smile. "Enjoy your family. Todd and I have a lot of prep work to do."

She turned her eyes to Jack who nodded at her, before she quickly hurried up the stairs.

….

Blair found her husband with his back to her, staring out to the windows of their bedroom. She made her way across the room and touched him. He winced and she pulled back like she'd been burned.

"How did I not think of this?" He hissed.

"Todd, don't do this." She pleaded.

"No? I mean come on Blair I missed public enemy number one here." His voice was high and frantic in away she hadn't heard in years. "I mean she's the one person who ever got to me right? The one person." He turned and her heart learched at the pinch of his face and the way he'd drawn his arms up around him like a barrier. She knew that posture and it hurt.

"She's dead Todd." Blair reminded.

"Is she?" His voice broke.

"If not we'll kill her again." She sighed. "You've already beat her."

"Have I?" He winced deeper. "She convinced me I killed my brother from beyond the damn grave, that's when it all went crazy."

"Victor's alive."

"That's why I kidnapped Tomas, framed him, started lying to you- because I had already told you what I thought was the truth-."

"It was the truth. And Tomas kidnapped you first." She reminded.

"He was following orders right?" Todd exhaled sharply. "I mean, that's what you said."

"That doesn't absolve him." She sighed.

"You still loved him."

"Loved him!" Blair scoffed. "I didn't even know him. He was just a guy who showed up with a picture." Her face softened and she moved towards him again. He didn't move away, but he didn't uncross his arms. "A picture of a time when I felt loved. Todd, I didn't love him. Not any more than I loved Max, or Cord, or Patrick Thornhart!" Todd snorted and Blair pulled at one of his arms until it dropped away. "I didn't love any of them, maybe Victor and that's only because he was you. I didn't even know what love was until I loved you."

"Then how'd you teach me?" He whispered taking her hand in the one she'd freed from his body.

"We learned together." She smiled.

"I can't beat her." He confessed softly. "She gets in my head."

"You couldn't beat her alone." She countered. "You're not alone now." She gestured towards the door. "Your children and your brother-. Hell, your whole messed up family is down there. And they all have your back." She slid her hand beneath the arm he still had pressed against his torso like he was cradling an injury, pushing it away and replacing it with her warm body. "And I'm here." She reminded him. "I'm here and I don't care about Tomas Delgado or his stupid orders or who shot Victor like four years ago, none of that will change anything. I'll still be here when the dust clears. I'm not going anywhere." He exhaled slowly, his body sagging into hers. "I never really have."

His arms snaked around her and he sat them on the bed.

"I'm sorry about Carly." He pressed his face into her shoulder.

"Carly?" She laughed softly, her hands fluttering onto his hair and around the back of his neck. "Todd I haven't thought about Carly Jax in-." She laughed again, pulling back and pressing her mouth to his. "Carly."

"And Tea for that matter." He closed his eyes and let her kiss him.

"I love Dani, Todd." She breathed, touching her lips to his in little pops. "It was all worth it for our fiery girl."

"And Sam." Todd moved his chin into her neck and she kissed the bridge of his nose.

"Sam is here because you loved me, Todd. He'd be here in one incarnation or another, no matter what."

"I like this incarnation of him." Todd sighed, she pressed her mouth to each of his eyelids. "I want this version."

"Me too." She moved her mouth back to his. "Anything else you want to apologize for?"

"How long you got?"

"For you?" She smiled, cupping the side of his face with her palm. "Forever."

"My mother scares the shit out of me, Blair." He confessed softly, with a half panicked laugh.

"Parents have always been a weak spot for you." She smiled at him sadly. She pressed her lips to his temple. "I've got your back on this. She doesn't scare me."

"I wish I could have seen you smack her." He smiled, leaning his face against hers.

"Maybe you'll still the the chance." She shrugged.

"I lost my shit down there." He exhaled softly, before smirking. "Anybody notice."

"No one hid under the table." She raised her eyebrows, "But they were rattled."

"I should go back down." He made no move to get up and Blair smiled, pushing back until they were laying against the pillows. "Project an air of confidence. Rally my troops."

"You should." She agreed, looping her leg over his protectively.

"Maybe it could wait.. just a little while.." He moved his hand to her face and she hummed a little.

Blair watched his eyes close, pressing a kiss to his wrist.

….

"What if you're right?" Victors voice called from the other side of the town car.

"I usually am." Todd whispered to his brother.

"I mean it Todd, what if I can't-."

"Then we find out now. With me standing right there with McBain on the other side of the glass." He shrugged, lazily turning towards his twin. "Better than when Jack's life's on the line."

"Yeah." He looked at the roof like it held answers.

"For the record, If I thought you would we wouldn't be here." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Pretty sure of yourself."

"I usually have a pretty good handle on how the family will vote." He raised an eyebrow. "No one wants to send you over to the dark side."

"True." He exhaled. "I might have gotten Blair, she's pretty pissed at me right now."

"She's really not." Todd sighed.

"I'm pretty sure she is." He raised his eyebrows. "All the yelling tipped me off."

"I think that was because she was mad at me." Manning rubbed his face.

"Not all of it." Victor shrugged.

"No." He stopped and looked at his brother. "Not all of it."

"Do you ever.. fell this way about Tea and I?"

"What jealous?" He chuckled.

"It's. Not. Exactly. Jealous." He winced.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to Delgado. I feel a sense of.. responsibility.." Todd swallowed and looked out the window. "I feel like an ass, for some of the things that I did. How I acted.. but I don't want her or anything. I'm not sure I ever did."

"It's not like I'm trying to steal your wife." Victor sniffed. "I just.. she still has.. parts of me still want to -."

"Oh God don't say it."

"Protect her." Victor sneered. "I want to keep her safe. I want to take away that look she gets you know? Where she gets the little lines.." He gestured between his own eyes and Todd's face melted into a a sappy grin. "And that fake tight smile. I just want to put my hand between her shoulder blades and-."

"Apply just the right amount of pressure to make her exhale." He finished for Victor.

"I'm literally programmed to calm her."

"Yeah." Todd sighed. "It's hard for her too." Victor blinked at him with mild interest. "You were me for eight years, she can't just forget all that. It didn't always suck. You were good to her."

"You were good to her Todd." His brother huffed. "It was you. Not me. I don't know how I am."

"I don't believe that." Todd snorted. "It's been years. You've changed. You have a sense of self. You always kind of did. It's not like you were some carbon copy."

"Yeah, maybe."

The car rolled to a stop and the brothers met eyes.

"Ready?" Todd asked softly. Victor adjusted his cuffs so that the thick black curve of the copy of his former tattoo Dani had meticulously drawn on with sharpie showed just enough.

"Let's do it." He nodded at his twin as he got out of the car.

"I'm right behind you." Todd mumbled, watching the other man's shoulders relax just a little.

"Good." His brother answered gruffly.

…

John McBain watched the Lord Twins exchange glances as they approached the two way mirror and looked at Walker Lawrence.

"We're sure that's who he is right?" Todd asked McBain. "Not some long lost triplet someone forgot to mention?"

"His prints match Lawrence." John chuckled.

"Well.." Victor looked through the window. "Do I just-?"

"Whenever your ready." Todd told him. "And listen, don't be a hero. You feel even the smallest twinge and you give the signal and we'll get you out okay?" Victor didn't move. "Okay?"

"Okay, Dad! Shit you sound like Vicki."

"Just sayin'." Todd mumbled.

"Yeah well. Stop." He took a deep breath before clapping his brothers shoulder a few times. "Go team."

John watched Todd gulp as Victor walked through the door and Walker's face lit up.

"This was a shit plan." Manning mumbled.

"He'll do fine." John told him reassuringly.

….

Victor Lord felt like his head was going to explode. He swallowed a few times and approached his double.

"Victor." Walker grinned at him like a loonatic. "We feared you'd been lost."

"No." He widened his eyes to match his target. "I've been found."

"Praise the Lords." Lawrences hands attempted to reach for the heavens, but the chains pulled them back to the table.

"Forgive me Brother." Victor gestured to the shackles. "I need to be sure."

Walker nodded soundly.

"Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart." He told Victor his eyes shining.

"Yes." He smiled at him. "Yes. And I have good news. My son wishes to return home."

He looked at the table, raising his face with teary eyes. "He has parted ways with his mother and rejected Judas' betrayal."

"Praise the Lords."

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Victor pasted on the stupidest of smiles. "We must take him to Lazareth. Has he risen? Like I have?"

"Not yet." Walker reported with a sigh. "Not yet, but father will be happy to receive his son. He'll be pleased."

"Father." Victor crooned reverently. He was so close. "He is with Orpheus?"

"No." Walker whispered. "He is home. He'll wait for Brian's arrival."

"How will we know? How will they know of our arrival?"

"Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us!" He lifted his hands up to again. Victor looked at the chains.

"Yes." He said softly. "Yes. Lets." He backed up towards the door and slipped back in side.

"It's Tony. It's gotta be." Todd mumbled, John looked hard at Victor. "Home where the fuck is home?"

"Unchain him." Victor listened as his voice echoed in the small room. "We have to unchain him."

Todd's jaw clenched as he looked from his brother to the man in the other room.

"Todd he'll take us there." Victor ground out. "We'll put him in the car and pick up Jack, you and Blair can follow us. He's fully immersed right now. He'll lead us right there."

"Too easy." Todd shook his head. "It's too easy."

"What?"

"Why Walker? Why now?"

"They saw I was in town. The saw a chance to grab Sam, they took it!" Todd shook his head and Victor smacked the table. "This is our chance!"

"It's too easy!" Todd yelled back.

"Todd's right." John answered.

"Of course, because Todd's always right! Our fearless leader, unless our mommy is mentioned."

"Victor calm down!" John yelled, but Lord's eyes were on his brother.

"This is our chance!" He yelled again. Todd held firm. He turned back to McBain. "Give me the keys." He moved forward again. "Give me the damn keys, John."

"Get back." John lifted his hand. "Just calm the hell down and-."

"Three Branches, One Tree." Todd said firmly.

"We are one!" Victor yelled automatically, his eyes flashing back to his brother just in time to see Todd's shoulders sag. He froze, and his twin held his eyes for a moment before reaching out and putting his hand on his shoulder. "Fuck." He whispered to himself before screaming it. "FUCK!"

"Sit down." Todd instructed, Victors head bobbed back in disgust but he dropped into the chair anyway. "It's okay." Todd assured him, pulling his phone from his pocket. "You did good." He raked his hand over his face and focused on his brother's voice. "You did good. Hey Sis." Victor looked up at Todd, who was looking back evenly. "Vic just wanted to check in on Tommy. Can you let him know what he's been up to? Here he is."

"Hey Sis." Victor repeated as Todd handed him the phone. "He being good for you?" He closed his eyes and let Vicki's voice was over him, his shoulder still firm in his brothers grasp. "Yeah he just started doing that."

….


	11. Chapter 11

By the time they'd gotten back, Dani and Starr had everyone assigned to bedrooms. The kids had been consolidated into the nursery, with Aunt VIcki and Tina in the west guest rooms keeping an eye everyone under five. Sam had moved in with Jack, giving his room over to Natalie and John, Jess and Bree were bunking with Dani and the east guest room had been set aside for Victor.

Starr and Michael shuffled off to her bedroom before Todd and Victor could notice, and CJ opted for the couch in the living room rather than with Sam and Jack. Blair was currently listening to him snore as she sat rigidly straight at the dining room table waiting for her past and current husbands to return.

The door beeped and then swung open. Victor stomped in ahead of Todd and John looking as broken as she expected. John was wary, she watched his eyes click around the room, taking in CJ, the dim lights, and the silence.

"Manning…" He started, but Todd shook his head.

"In the morning." He announced.

"Natalie's in Sam's room." Blair said softly. "Door on the left at the top of the stairs, then the first right."

"Thanks." McBain gave her a quick nod, before looking back at Victor, who was starring wordlessly out the window. Todd sat on the edge of the table and took one of her hands in both of his.

"The fortress is officially at max capacity." She whispered into the darkness.

"I see that." He smiled looking over at CJ's snoring form. "We can sleep ten in the Basement."

"No guarantees we can get them out in the morning though." She teased, he snorted, leaning in and touching his forehead to hers.

"So are we just not going to talk about it?" Victor's voice ground out. "Or are you to just breaking the ice?"

"There is nothing to talk about." Todd held Blair's eyes in his before pulling back and turning towards the other man.

"I-." He turned around and looked at his brother like he was insane. "You-."

"You got a little ahead of yourself." Todd sighed. "Nothing happened."

"Nothing happened?" He choked out.

"You didn't try to kill me." Todd shrugged his shoulder. "You didn't even punch McBain."

"I appreciate the low bar Bro, but I don't think I'm in any shape to take Jack in there." Victor snorted.

"No." Todd agreed, turning to look at Blair. She felt her eyes start to water and her husband winced pressing his lips together tightly before speaking. "Which is why you're going to take me."

"What?" He looked at Todd incredulously.

"You'll be Walker." He shrugged. "I'll be handcuffed."

"I hate this plan." Victor shook his head.

"Nah. Blair and Jack, hot on our heels, mounting a rescue. It's a solid plan." He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it before hopping off the table.

"Todd it took him a hot minute to have me demanding his release!" He yelled.

"And I was right there!" He shouted back. "And it took me seconds to bring you back."

"What's going on?" CJ called into the dark room.

"Sorry kid." Todd called back. "Go back to sleep."

"Is everything okay?" He asked, sitting up and padding over to them.

"Yeah, we're just talking shop." Todd assured him, grinning slightly at his nephew. The boy looked like a young Cord Roberts and it almost surprised Blair that Todd didn't seem to mind. He hadn't really cared for a young Cord Roberts.

"Okay." He started back to the couch before turning. "Look I'm sorry about today, with Sam. I should have listened to you, about security at Llanfair. John and Natalie were just really confident-."

"There are always risks." She watched him wave away CJ's words like they were gnats. "You did great."

"Natalie did all the work, she had him on the ground before I even got there." CJ snorted laying back on the couch and covering himself up.

"Of course she did." Todd smirked with a shake of his head. He looked at his twin, reaching out his hand to Blair. She took it and held on. "Let's go upstairs."

"So we can wake more people up with our argument?" Victor grumbled.

"Soundproofing." Todd grinned, Blair felt him squeeze her fingers. "Comes in very handy."

She couldn't help but smile.

…...

Jack Manning was watching his parents make doe eyes at each other over the crowded breakfast table. Typically he would have been embarrassed and irritated, today he just felt like a jerk. This was his fault.

He knew without a shadow of a doubt that this little Manning love fest was brought forth by fear. Fear that something would go terribly wrong and they'd be forced apart, like usual. It was making him crazy.

He picked up his phone hit his most used group chat and typed.

Manning family meeting Dad's office, be discreet.

His family was not at all discrete when their phones all sounded at once. Jack rolled his eyes, watching them all fumble, eyebrows scrunched. He almost moaned as Sam reached blindly into his pockets for his glasses, drawing ever eye at the table to him as he groped, chewing loudly.

"Who's texting me?" He grumbled, pieces of eggs falling out of his mouth. "Everyone I know is here."

"Maybe it's Donovan." Bree said helpfully, reaching towards where Sam's glasses rested against his book next to his orange juice. "Let me see."

"Donovan's at school." Sam murmured, still digging through his pocket trying to reach his phone while adjusting his glasses. "Everyone is at school or here."

"Maybe they want to know why we're not at school." Bree chewed as Sam finally got his phone loose. He looked at it, then towards Jack.

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Well?"

"It's Donovan." Sam mumbled. "I'm going to go text him back from upstairs."

It looked for a second like Bree might try to join him, but instead she shrugged and went back to her pancake. He watched slowly as his sisters started to excuse themselves. His parents were already gone, understanding the meaning of the word discrete in a way that a Manning child obviously couldn't. He looked around the table for a second before crossing over to his Aunt Tina and plucking his babysitter from her lap.

"Hope." He called to his niece, sticking out his hand to her. She stopped and studied him for a second before deciding it wasn't worth a fight and getting up to join him.

"I'm going to get them dressed. I'll bring them back." He decided to leave no Manning behind, clutching the youngest one to his chest and heading up the stairs to his father's office.

"What's up Jack?" Dani's wide eyes greeted him, her hands stuffed in her pockets leaning just slightly forward. Always on alert, he thought. That's what happens when they come for you in the night.

Starr had opened her arms up to her daughter, pulling her onto her hip. She was already dressed like her rock star self, ready to go out and put the next piece of the plan into motion. Hope was currently touching her mother's dangly earrings with a gentleness he hadn't seen from her in a while.

"Jack?" Blair said softly, her eyebrows raising. Even Meredith was staring at him. Her tiny fist patting his back with soft affection. Jack looked at his father.

"Are we doing the right thing?" He breathed, holding his eyes.

"Jack." Dani sighed next to him. "I thought you wanted a normal life?"

"It's not worth the risk." He shook his head, pulling Merrie in closer. "What if it's not worth the risk?"

Jack watched Blair's arm slide under his father's, Todd brought his hand up to hers and she pressed her cheek to his shoulder. Dani sat down slowly next to Sam. Starr turned her face to Hope and smiled at her little girl.

"We can't stay in the fortress forever." Todd told him calmly.

"Then let's go. We'll just.. Go." He sniffed, rubbing his face with his hands. "We all speak French. Well not Dani, but she's smart, she can learn. John can put us in witness protection or-."

"Come with me." Todd said softly, pulling away from Blair and taking Merrie from him. He handed the baby to Dani and guided Jack out of the office and to the edge of the loft railing. Below him, his aunts and cousins meandered about the living room. He looked at his Aunt Vicki, she was laughing over something that Ryder had said, her applecheeks pushing up into her half mooned eyes with delight. CJ was feeding Tina's little dog scraps of bacon while she admonished him half heartedly. Liam was working hard to make Tommy laugh. Jack blinked hard and looked at his father, his eyes settled on his twin brother who was trying, but failing, not to laugh along with his son at Liam's antics. Jess had come up beside him and nudged him with her shoulder until he chuckled. Jack exhaled in a huff, turning to his father in defeat.

"I used to dream about buying a private island or something." Todd shrugged. "Just loading everyone up in the middle of the night, willing or unwilling. Gives the whole 'Lord of the Flies' thing a new meaning huh?" He snorted at his father. "Victor's afraid somethings going to happen to Vicki. That she'll die." Manning swallowed hard. "And he'll have missed so much time."

"You missed my whole childhood." Jack's voice was a whisper, but still made Todd bristle, he turned his pained eyes towards his oldest son. "You shouldn't miss Merrie's, Dad. Not one day." He watched his dad swallow painfully. "It's not fair."

"Jack.." He dropped his hand onto his son's shoulder. "We do this right and it'll all fall down. It'll be over, and no one will miss anyones days." He turned and walked back to the office.

Jack looked out over the family again for a moment before following him.

"You're mom and I spent a lot of time talking last night. Jack you don't have to come if you don't-."

"Dad." He yelped.

"You can stay and help Dani with-."

"I got us into this!" Jack balked.

"No." Manning's voice was sharp. "Irene got us into this. Not you." He turned to his son and put his hand on his shoulder. "Not you."

"I'm coming." He whispered. Todd gave him a quick decisive head bob.

"John is going to meet with you and your mother today, go over the rules. How it's going to work. I need you to do what he says Jack." He narrowed his eyes at him. "Okay?"

Jack nodded wordlessly.

"I have to go." Starr looked at her watch before kissing Hope on the forehead. "It's showtime."

"I'll go down with you." Dani whispered pushing up from the desk with one arm while jostling Merrie with the other.

"Blair and I need to talk to you, Firecracker." Todd said softly. Starr pressed her lips together tightly and their father kissed her head.

"Jack, can you and Sam take the girls please." Blair whispered softly.

"Hope lets go get dressed." Jack called softly as Sam took Meredith from Dani, eyeing his parents.

Starr followed Jack into the hallway as Hope skipped off to her room.

"What's going on?" His sister looked away, running her hand under her eyes.

"You don't want to know." She smiled at him before impulsively leaning in and hugging her little brother. She turned to Sam and did the same, adding a kiss on her baby sister's head. "Love you guys."

She walked away without another word.

….

"What's wrong?" She whispered, looking from Blair to Todd.

"Sit down, Sweetheart." Blair whispered.

"You're scaring me." Dani breathed.

"Not my brave girl." Todd smiled, his hand reaching out and touching her cheek. Dani uncharacteristically grabbed it.

"Dad?" The word fell out of her mouth.

"We need to talk about what happens if we don't come back." Blair held her eyes.

"Oh." Her mouth popped open with the word and her stepmother tilted her head to the left.

"When it's deemed safe…" Todd said softly, sitting down next to his wife and taking her hand. "Michael will come for you. He and Starr will take Hope. They've worked out at plan with Michael's father that Anna Devane agrees will be safe for her. Tina has promised she'll get Tommy to your mother, but if something should make that impossible you will take him too. "

"Too?" Dani squeaked, looking between them.

"We've thought a lot about this Danielle." Her dad sighed, he looked at his wife. before leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes for a second.

"Dani.." Blair picked up his words, leaning forward and taking the young woman's face in her hands. "Honey, if we don't come back you need to take Sam and Merrie and go where Agent Devane tells you to go."

"What?"

"You heard her." Todd swallowed, leaning in just a little.

"Starr should-." She brought her hands up and locked them around Blair's wrists.

"No." Blair said softly, shaking her head.

"We talked to your sister." Todd whispered. "She understands."

"But.." She shook her head. "I'm not.. I'm."

"You are the best person for this job."

"Blair I-." She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "Starr and Michael can't-?"

"You were my first choice, Beautiful." Blair whispered.

"Your.." She felt the rush of tears in her eyes as the other woman's face blurred in her sights. "But there are so many other people.."

"Meredith has a strong personality." Todd forced out a chuckle. "She'll need someone who will be able to parent her the way we would have. Sam will need someone who's been through hard times and come out stronger. When Blair asked me-." He worked to swallow. "You were the first name out of my mouth too."

Dani tried to and failed to hold in a sob.

"I know we're asking a lot.." The pitch of Blair's voice rose, she used her thumbs to brush Dani's tears off her cheeks. "Honey, I'm so sorry we have to put this on you."

"Can you do this for us, Firecracker?" Her father was looking at her intently.

"Of course I-. Of course, I will." She choked, leaning into Blair as she started to sob.

"Starr promises she would find you, as soon as it was safe, so you all could be together." Blair whispered softly in her ear. "I know you can do this. There's no one else I would want raising my babies."

Dani felt her father's hand on her head, and Blair pulled back and she stood up and into his arms.

"We're just being cautious." He assured her. "We'll be back."

"I need you." She told him quietly. "I still.. I mean your the only one of my father's that's ever really made sense you know?"

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"We're the same." She whispered to him. "We think the same."

"God, I hope not." He snorted.

"Dad." She whined. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

"One more thing?" He asked, pulling her back just a little. "Weather we come back or not, it's time you make up with your mother."

"We're fine."

"You're not." He shook his head. She sagged back against him. "Spend some time thinking about it while you're in lock down. Write her a letter, just in case. It's time."

"I don't know if I can let her back in." Dani admitted.

"I just want you to try." He sighed.

"You better come back." Dani's breath evened, and she turned her head and pressed it against his chest.

"I'm gonna give it all I got kid."

….

Starr waited in the common area until her sister emerged from the office.

"It should be you." She whispered into Starr's ear as she hugged her to her.

"No." Starr shook her head. "They're right." She pulled back and wiped her eyes. "You'd be a great parent to them."

"Starr.." Dani whimpered, Starr pulled her back, holding her tight.

"They're coming back. Dad always comes back." She teased. "And I promise you. I promise you Dani if they don't-." She swallowed hard. "I'll find you. This won't be all on you. I'll come find you."

"You better." She breathed, pulling back and looking at her. "Oh God your makeup." She touched the dots of smudged eyeliner at the corner of her sisters eye."

"It'll be okay. All part of the act." She gave her a thin smile. "I hate everything about this."

"You said it yourself, Dad always comes back." Dani pulled herself up to her full height. She looked so strong, Starr smiled at her. "Go.. do your thing, Hannah Montana."

"Shut up!" Starr laughed, as she jogged down the steps and met Michael at the door. "Ready?"

"I guess." He sighed.

The crowd was waiting when she stepped outside. She tried to drown out the sound of her own name being yelled at her. Michael put his arm around her like he was trying to usher her away.

"Starr do you have anything to say about your brother's disappearance?" There was Jessica's plant. She yanked her face up and tried to look offended. "From what I understand the police were called to your Aunts house yesterday due to a domestic dispute. Does this have to do with your father? Is he back?"

"My father is dead." Starr said calmly. "He's been dead for three years."

"Your mother has-."

"My mother loves my father very much." Starr's voice faltered, she looked down at the sea of microphones. "She loved him very much. She wants to believe that he's alive, simply missing as he has been in the past. That has caused some.. friction.. in our family. We're requesting privacy at this time."

"Starr can you comment on the rumor that your brother has gone to join the organization that killed your father?" She stumbled back and Michael was quick to steady her. That was not one of Jessica's planted questions. She tried to look into the flash bulbs to see where it came from.

"Who said that?" She whispered meekly.

"Is it true?" Another reporter asked gleefully.

"No. My brother is a good person he wouldn't.." Michael squeezed her arm and she stopped talking, letting her voice trail off. He leaned in and whispered to her.

"Act like your considering it." He coached. "Like you're not sure he hasn't."

She turned her face to him and he put his shoulder between him and the cameras.

"Who?" She saw spots when she tried to look into the crowd.

"I couldn't see." He shook his head, pulling back slightly. She looked at him for a moment.

"My brother is a good person. He wouldn't…" She put her hand to her mouth. "He wouldn't…"

"That's it you guys, that's all." Michael yelled as Starr's security moved forward. "Give her some space please."

"Starr when are you going back to LA?" Someone shouted.

"Starr when will your mother make a statement?" A flash bulb snapped too close, she jumped against Michael's chest, he kept pushing forward.

"Starr are you angry with your mother?" Her hands were shaking now.

"Starr look over here." Someone pleaded.

"Starr is your mother living in fear? Why is she so reclusive? Is she afraid of the people who killed your father?"

"What is she hiding?"

Michael pushed her forward and into the car. It was only then she could hear her cell phone ring. She answered it quickly.

"That wasn't my guy." Jessica's voice shot out of the phone.

"I.. I couldn't see where it came from." She sputtered. "We need to see who it came from."

"I have my people pulling footage. I'll have Mom do the same. We'll figure it out."

"Jess-." She covered her face with her hands. "Was it okay?"

"You did great Starr. I'll see you when you get back."


	12. Chapter 12

Blair packed her bag in relative silence. Todd was flicking his fingers across the iPad screen with channelled focus at the foot of their bed. Merrie was sprawled out in the middle, her mouth still sucking at the thumb which had long fallen away.

They'd laid with her, nestled between them for over an hour. Todd rhythmically stroking her tiny red curls as Blair sang 'All the Pretty Little Horses' her feet tangled up in her husband's. His free hand also lazily stroking long locks of her blonde hair away from her forehead.

There was a soft knock, Todd lifted off the bed and slipped the door open. John McBain stood awkwardly on the other side. He looked back at her with a wistful smile.

"Starr's ready." The cop said softly, behind him she could see Dani standing rod straight, she smiled over John's shoulder at her.

"Give us a few minutes." Her husband said softly, the other man nodded moving back. Blair had already scooped Merrie off the bed and was holding her tight to her body. She squirmed into a comfortable spot. Todd stood in front of her, taking a long slow breath. She leaned forward into his chest sandwiching the baby. "Ready?"

"Let's end this, Todd." Her voice was firm, resolute. "Let's just end this."

He pressed his lips to her forehead before pulling back. She took her hand and led him out the door.

Dani and Sam joined them as they walked down to Starr and Michael. Natalie was just coming back in the door. She looked at her cousin.

"Jessie's waiting for you in the lobby." She told her softly.

Starr Manning hugged her brother and sister before turning to her parents with wide eyes. Blair made a small squeak as she pulled her daughter in. Todd looped his arms around the both of them.

"See you soon, Shorty." He whispered evenly as she pulled away and sunk down to the floor where her daughter stood.

"Have fun on your adventure." She told her little girl. "Be good for Aunt Dani. Mommy will see you in a few days."

"Promise?" She asked, a sassy hand poised on her hip.

"I swear." Starr told her giving her a quick hug. "Be good for Aunt Dani."

"I will try." She muttered with surprise honestly, as her mother stood.

"Try hard." Starr laughed, as she made her way out the door.

Blair looked up to see Vicki ushering the Buchanan kids to the sofa. Natalie joined them, sitting between Bree and Liam, holding the little girls hand.

"The Banner is all set to run." She reported as she hugged each of them.

"Thanks Sis." Todd sighed, kissing her cheek before letting her fold her arms around his neck.

"Take care of your, Brother." She reminded.

"I will, Mother." He teased, pulling back and giving her a meaningful wink.

"I want you both home in time for Christmas."

"I'll do my best." He sighed again. Blair touched his hand and he turned to look at her before looking at Sam.

"You'll help Dani?" Sam nodded and Todd picked up Hope, whispering something in her ear.

Blair and Sam shared a long look before he dropped his face into her side his long arms wrapping around her waist. Blair bit her lip, dipping her hands into his unruly curls until Dani's hand came down on his shoulder.

"Can you help Bree get the boys and their things in the lobby?" She asked softly. He nodded, waving the rest of the crew over. Natalie was giving out kisses and last minute reminders to her niece.

Blair watched Dani fall into her father's arms until Todd pulled back with a sniff, kissing Meredith's head and taking a few steps into the dinning room. She turned her baby in her arms and gave her a long look.

"You be good for your sister." She begged, pressing kisses to her face before handing her over. Dani took her in shaking arms, her red eyes holding Blair's for as long as she could. Todd, reached his hand back, pulling her away with him as Dani gulped back tears before joining the rest of the group in the lobby.

Michael Corinthos put his hand on Dani's back and herded them into the elevator. Only when the door closed did Blair start to cry.

…..

In her beautiful Tahiti office Tea Delgado was losing her mind. She wanted to go to Llanview. She needed to go to Llanview. She wanted to hold her baby. She wanted to argue with her husband. She wanted to have awkward small talk in Spanish with the adult daughter she was all but estranged from. She did not want to stand here waiting.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen, eyebrows knotting, it was not who she expected to see on her caller id.

"What's wrong?"

"Delgado." There was something about that voice that still put her on edge, still made her heartbeat a little faster. "I can't talk long so don't interrupt."

"Todd what the hell is go-!"

"I said _don't interrupt._ You never listen. Michael Corinthos is going to call you any minute and say a sentence. You can't write it down. You can't tell it to anyone. It's a code and you have to memorize it."

"Wha-."

"Just repeat it back to him." Todd interrupted. "If this thing goes wrong, our children's lives may depend on you memorizing it."

"Okay." She said softly.

"Tea?"

"Okay." She said with more authority.

"You're the only one I know I can trust with this." He said simply. "You know why?"

"Why?" She whispered.

"You're immune to our charm." She could hear the tease in his voice and she couldn't help but smile. "I know you won't ever tell Victor, or me."

"How will I know what I need to-?"

"Vicki." He said quickly. "Vicki will tell you."

"Okay." She swallowed hard. She wanted to ask him about Tommy. She wanted to ask him about Victor. She wanted to tell him to tell Dani she was sorry. "Todd, I-."

"Make up with Danielle." He said quickly. "I'll take care of everything else. Just.. make up with Danielle."

"I-."

"Just hear her out Tea, it's worth it." She heard him sigh. "She's a great girl. She's an unbelievable girl. Thank you.." If she didn't know better she'd have thought he was trying not to cry. "For her."

Then the phone when dead. She sat there, frozen in place waiting for the key to something she didn't understand.

A few moments later the phone rang again.

"This is Tea Delgado." She said calmly.

"It is my grandmother's house." The shaky voice of Michael Corinthos.

said softly.

"It is my grandmother's house." She repeated back to him.

He hung up the phone. Tea sat down slowly at her desk and thought about her grandmother's house. She pictured each room. She pictured the children inside. She pictured it being picked up by a tornado. She saw it knocked down by a bulldozer. She envisioned it on fire.

She repeated Michael's phrase over and over again inside her own head.

….

Moments before Michael had stood face to face with Dani Manning. He watched her evaluate each child as they walked into the new space, silently making sure they were all accounted for. She looked at Sam, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Get them settled?" She whispered to him and he gave her a quick nod. She looked at her baby sister alseep against her shoulder and then back at Starr's boyfriend. "Be careful out there." She told him airly. "Don't forget about us."

Then Dani Manning closed the door in his face. The sound of shuttering steel clanked in his ears as he watched the panel go dark before taking a few steps back.

He dialed the number and waited for the woman on the other side to answer.

"It is my grandmother's house." He said as slowly and clearly as possible the second she said her name. She repeated it and he hung up the phone. Slowly returning to the elevator. He had to admit it to Starr at some point, that the crown for most complicated family was most definitely hers.

….

Two floors up from Michael Corinthos, Todd Manning was standing in the garage and putting his wife in a car with John McBain. Her teary eyes held his as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

"I'll see you in a few hours." He whispered softly, she gave him a shaky smile before stepping back into the lobby as the 1st security door rose. A few minutes later he was in the back of CJ's tinted police car next to Natalie. He watched his least favorite niece clench and unclench her fists. He reached over and laid his hand on top of hers.

"The kids are safe." He told her softly. "I swear to you, on my life. On your mother's life... "

She gave him a quick watery smile and he pulled his hand back.

"I'm sorry. About Llanfair and Sam." She sniffed. "You tried to warn me about a hundred times."

"CJ says you had it under control." Todd shrugged. "I pity the idiot that gets in path of a red headed Lord woman."

He could see her smile reflected in the window glass.

"This is going to work." She sighed.

"The last time you and I went on a car ride like this** I** was taking **you** to _your_ possible demise." He sniffed, turning to face her. "That seems like another lifetime ago."

"We got out of that mess then, and we'll get out of this mess now." Natalie gave him a determined look.

"Damn right we will." He chuckled, watching as they left the Fortress unnoticed, despite the steady stream of media that surrounded it. Every eye was focused on his daughter, just as planned.

…

Bo Buchanan was more than irritated when he turned on the news and saw Starr Manning giving a press conference in front of Shelter, he was outraged.

After two years of being virtually Manning free, he was now overloaded with them. It had first come to his attention that Victor Lord, who as far as he was concerned was Todd Manning light, had shown up at Llanfair after three years of being dead.

"Todd Manning's don't die Bo, you know that." He muttered to himself with a sigh. Then some 'government agents' had come to swoop him out of lock up at two in the morning and take him off to parts unknown. The whole time, there seems to be some confusion on if he's really Victor at all, or the also not so dead Walker Lawrence. When he'd asked, he'd been flat out told by his own niece, who was his subordinate, that it wasn't her place to say and I'd have to ask John.

John who was conveniently on loan to the FBI. Over the years he'd often pondered that it was more the case his chief detective was actually on loan to him. He had not yet decided if John was 'on loan' due to Todd/Walker/Victor, or if his leaving two days before had been some random coincidence. Anna Devane was not returning his phone calls.

The LPD had also been called the day before to the scene of a 'Manning' in progress at the Palace when the Jr. Manning had disturbed the peace, and committed some light vandalism before running off through a headwind of tabloid reporters that were there because rumor had it, Starr Manning was in town.

The next thing he knew, Blair Manning was in his office yelling that her son was missing and she was afraid Todd/Walker/Victor had something to do with it. Demanding to see who ever it was right away. When he'd let her know he was no longer there, she'd lost it. Yelling about how once again, her family had been kidnapped, probably by rouge agents, right out from under his nose.

He wasn't sure she was wrong, but that didn't make it any less irritating that Starr Manning, international superstar, was now in front of the cameras, explaining to the world how his inept police department had allowed the disappearance of his brother by the hands of her Uncle (who maybe wasn't dead, or maybe wasn't her uncle at all.) She made a plea for him to return, she shed ugly angry tears, begging her mother, who had apparently gone in search of her brother, to return. She tearfully, sorrowfully made a direct eye contact with the camera appeal to Blair herself.

"Mom I know you believe Dad is out there, and that he'll help you find Jack, but he's not. Please come home. Come home. Please." The was sobbing then, so much so that Jessica was coming to her side, moving her to her boyfriend (the mobster's son, how fitting) who was just arriving. Jessica was feverishly trying to remove the microphone from her lapel as she continued to wail. "I've lost everyone, Michael everyone. I can't lose anyone else, please come home."

"The LPD clearly doesn't care about the Manning family. So we will be offering a reward for their safe return. The captors are considered very armed, and very dangerous. If you see them we're asking that you do not approach, but call the number on your screen now." The mob son was telling the camera. "All useful tips will receive a cash reward."

"Damn it!" He smacked the table, sending pens and papers scattering.


	13. Chapter 13

….

"So the next time you see me we're gonna be throwing punches." Todd said idly, dropping his head to the headrest, casting a glance at Natalie in the front seat. She sat bedside the plan clothes agent deep in conversation. He sighed before looking back at Victor's blank face on the screen. "Maybe we should talk about something that pisses us off."

"I don't need to be mad to hit you." His brother shrugged.

"That's not very nice." Todd feigned offense.

"Says the guy that thought he was capable of my murder." Victor snorted.

"We both know I'm capable of a ton of awful things, especially to people I care about." Todd chuckled. "Speaking of people I've done awful things to, how's my son?"

"He's fine. He crashed on the sofa right after we got here." Victor leaned left and a rumpled blanket with curly brown hair came into view.

"Good, he needs sleep." Todd hummed.

"We all need sleep." Victor added. "You probably most of all."

"Yeah well, that's not gonna happen." Todd scoffed. "You talk to Jack yet? About the Spencer stuff."

"Not yet."

"I thought you were going-?"

"I'm not as good at it as you are." He huffed.

"Tough shit, I wasn't there then. I can't talk to him about it. You were his father then, so you need to deal with it now." Todd sighed heavily, in the way Victor knew meant that he was trying not to call him an idiot.

"How do you make this seem so easy?" Victor growled.

"What, parenting?" Todd screwed his face up.

"This! Sharing them with me. You could barely share the kids with Blair and you are totally insanely in love with her." Manning considered it for a second.

"I'm thinking about them. They think of you as a father and-."

"They really don't." Victor interjected softly.

"Yes they-."

"No." He shrugged. "Not really, not anymore. Not even Jack. Not even my own actual kid."

"Sam's had a tough year." Todd whispered.

"You're a good dad." Victor told his brother suddenly. "Kids love you. My kid loves you. It's always 'Uncle Todd' this and 'Uncle Todd' that. You're good with kids. You're a good dad. Turns out, I'm really not."

"They love you."

"In a nostalgic 'uncle who used to take you out and by you presents' sort of way." He waved his hand dismissively. "Hell, Starr tolerated me because I was you. Jack barely even tolerated me until the GiGi shit. You're their Dad and I'm okay with that."

"You're okay with that?"

"Yeah. I like not being you." He shrugged. "I passed. When they didn't have you, I passed as a reasonable sub for them, even for Blair for a little while, but it took about five minutes before Sam was enamored by you. You kissed your wife and the moment you did, she knew. Starr knew. It took a Jack and Dani a minute but you got to them too."

"And you're okay with that?"

"They're good kids." He shrugged. "My favorite nieces and nephews -not that the competition there is super steep- but they're your kids." Todd blinked at his brother for a few seconds. "So I'll talk to Jack, uncle to nephew… and then when this is all over I'm going to go ahead and have you adopt Sam." Victor nodded. "It's what he wants."

"He told you that?" He known that's what Sam wanted, he'd been asking him for a year, at least.

"No. But he's been very carefully calling me Uncle Victor since I got to town." He shrugged. "Hell they all are, except for Dani's whole 'father number two' routine, but when she got freaked out the other night and came running out calling 'Dad'? Not one of us thought she was talking to me."

Todd looked away from the screen, taking a deep breath.

"This is what's best." He shrugged when Todd looked back. "They're yours."

Manning shook his head at his brother slowly.

"How am I supposed to hit you now?"

"Think about how I slept with your wife, in your bed, in your penthouse." He shrugged his shoulders, and Todd made a gagging noise. "Right before I sold it. See? Problem solved."

He pressed the button and ended the connection.

…

"Hey Babe." She smiled sadly at the weariness of her husband's voice.

"You guys all settled in?" She whispered.

"I guess." He huffed. "I don't like the idea of Natalie being alone in this seedy motel."

"She's a cop Todd." Blair reminded.

"She's a forensic specialist, not like she's Swat." He scoffed. "This place is full of transients and drug addicts Blair, and my young attractive niece."

"If you keep talking like that people are going to start to think you like her."

"Yeah well.." He sighed deeply.

"Are you ready?" Blair whispered.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He sighed. "Do it."

She reached across the table to her 'other' phone, the one she used for calls to everyone but her family. She typed in the message and sent it. She could hear the beep from Todd's side of the call. She pictured him spinning his old phone on the table before stopping it with his hand.

"It has begun." She hummed.

"Yeah.." He gulped.

"You okay?" She used the melodic tone she knew soothed him.

"I miss you." He sighed.

"Go lay down." She told him softly. "You need to be well rested for tomorrow."

"Blair.." His voice came out as an airy whine.

"Get in the bed."

"Yes, Dear." He muttered, and she strained to hear the sound of his shoes hitting the floor of the motel room across town. She closed her eyes and envisioned him as he groaned and fussed with the blankets until he exhaled slowly. "I don't like that you're alone out there either."

"I can see John's car from here." She told him, pulling the curtain back just a little, as if he could see him too. "I'm okay."

"Natalie didn't even tuck me in." He muttered, she hummed out fake comfort.

"Close your eyes, Love." She told him, crossing the room and climbing onto her own bed. She knew he'd have his arms locked tight around himself, in her mind she was already stroking her nails over his cheeks, fingering his thick earlobes and slowly knotting her legs with his."I'm here." He sighed heavily. "I borrowed your blue Armani." She slid the tips of her fingers along the cuffs of his shirt that she was currently wearing.

"I stole your pillow case." He exhaled slowly, she snorted back a laugh. "I win most pathetic."

"I love you." She whispered to him.

"You have it on?" His voice was fading, she smiled softly.

"Yeah." She put the phone on speaker and closed her eyes.

"Good." Todd breathed. "Love you too."

She hadn't realized how tired she was until then, she could feel the world blurring around her as she drifted off.

"Blair?" She saw him behind her eyelids, his mouth half open, lashed fluttering, fighting sleep.

"Todd?" She hummed back.

"Don't hang up." It was the small scared voice that she both loved and hated to hear.

"I'm here."

…..

The next day John McBain was in the helicopter above an altercation involving the Lord twins. As planned, Blair had interrupted Victor/Walker's attempt to turn Jack to the dark side and a fake hostage crisis had ensued, covered by a planted news team. One that ended with the most recently still missing and presumed dead Lord Twin, Todd Manning, had arrived to rescue his wife and son, ending up sacrificing himself as a hostage for his maybe brother's escape as a quickly approaching police team (aka John's wife and her cousin) closed in.

The whole thing was caught on video, by the man sitting next to John McBain himself. It was all over the news by sun up.

…

"Now what?" Todd said, almost bored, turning his face towards Victor as they drove. They'd 'lost' their niece and nephew about six miles ago.

"Now we hope somebody makes contact before we get to Pine Valley." He shrugged. Todd had spent the last twenty minutes or so dialing and redialing the top numbers on Walker Lawrence's phone on his own. Not his actual phone, but the one he'd had when he left Llanview to find Victor the first time. The one Blair had sent her fake sos to last night, begging him for help. The one he hoped was being tracked.

So far it wasn't yielding any results.

"You talk to Jack?"

"Jesus you're like a broken record." His brother growled.

"Did you?"

"Yes." He growled.

"Did it help?"

"Him or me?"

"Him." Todd said like his brother was an idiot. "You're beyond help."

"I think so." Victor muttered, not bothering to scoff at Todd's jab.

"Blair can't talk about it. Still."

"Yeah well, she testified against me and watched me die by lethal injection so..."

"Technically she testified against me."

"Nah. She wouldn't have believed you killed someone." He sighed.

"Your ability to separate us and put us back together makes me dizzy." Todd shook his head. "She thought you were me."

"She did." He huffed. "But like you said, I wasn't a carbon copy. She didn't believe in me the way she believed in you. She thought you'd changed."

"Almost like I was a whole other person." Todd snorted with laughter.

"She spent the next year trying to make it up to you." He grinned a little. "It was worth it."

"That's enough of that." Todd murmured, with a vaguely sick grunt.

"Seriously. They're good stories. You'd have loved it. All that cutesy 'Mr. and Mrs Manning', holding hands, Bonnie and Clyde shit that you love." Victor turned and looked at him again. "Just think of it as something that happened between you and her."

"That's what you do." Todd realized suddenly, surprised to find he wasn't quite as bothered as he just had been. His twin shrugged.

"I guess." He tilted his head, as his eyes studied the road in front of them. "At least the good ones."

"What you keep the bad ones for yourself?" Todd snorted.

"No I just know it would have been different. If it had been you." Victor sighed, his brother waited. "I don't have the same- effect- on her that you do. I can say all the same words with all the same feeling." He shook his head. "But I'm not you and on some level she always knew that."

"She cares about you." Todd told him softly. "It may have started out about me, but you two had your own weird little relationship. She cares about you in a separate way. She realizes you're a whole other person."

"Must be nice." His brother grunted.

Todd looked up at him waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. He started to ask him what he meant when the phone on the console made a faint buzzing sound. Manning slowly lifted it towards him.

"Well?" Victor asked expectantly, his eyes flicking from his brother to the road.

"It's an address." Todd told him flatly.

…..


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: I had to go back and make an adjustment in Jack's age. Unlike the show I can't make myself age Dani without aging her older brother. It just seemed wrong. That makes him just 23 and Dani 22. I couldn't bring myself to make him any older, so she gets to stay the same age she's been since the show ended. Soap Opera Magic!_

….

Blair looked back over the swarm of police for a familiar face, but there wasn't one.

"John should be back by now." She kept her hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Mom?" He whispered softly. "Dad wanted me to remind you not to talk to anyone."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Jack, I know-."

"He said they're going to split us up and try and make it seem like they're getting information from me and that you're going to panic and say something stupid and that I should remind you that I'm not going to say anything." He interrupted. Blair made a face. "I'm supposed to tell you this isn't his first rodeo." Her lips twitched into a guilty smile before she let her eyes slip shut with a nod. Jack squeezed the hand that was on his shoulder. "He also said not to worry about him, he's okay."

Blair pressed her chin to the top of her son's head.

"Yeah. Well.. with your Daddy? 'Okay' is a relative term." She huffed, spinning her wedding ring on her finger. She pictured the engraving in her mind's eye. Todd's messy scribble perfectly mimicked on the inside of her gold band. She repeated the phrase over and over in her head until a cop wandered over and predictably separated her and Jack for questioning.

"Don't say anything until your attorney arrives.." She reminded her son before following the officer out the door and onto the patio.

….

"So this is it?" Victor whispered pulling into one of the warehouses in the industrial park and stopping the car.

"Looks like it." Todd starred at the building.

"Do they all look like this?" He asked his brother.

"You don't remember?" Todd asked with a nod. "From when we got Jack out?"

"Barely." He mumbled looking out into the nothingness. "I remember there was a fence, and you kept yelling at me to keep going. I remember you wanting to kill Allison, holding the gun to her chest."

"And you wouldn't let me." Todd said pointedly.

"Jack was upset." He sighed. "I didn't want him to see his father commit a rage homicide right in front of his face." Victor's hand chopped at the air. "Even my messed up brain knew that wasn't what was best for the kid."

"And you were right." Todd sighed graciously. "Congratulations." He rubbed his face and looked at the building. "You wanna take bets on who's in there?"

"My fifth grade math teacher?" Victor snorted.

"They dead?" Todd countered.

"I don't know. I don't even remember if I had a fifth grade math teacher." He looked lazily at his brother. "Ready?"

"Yep." He leaned forward and let his twin cuff him. "Not too tight now."

"Sure thing, Boss." He snickered. "You sure we really have to do this for real?"

"Yes. They'll check. Just.." He listened to the click and leaned back to look at his brother. "Just focus on me for a while. It's gonna be fine."

"I hope you're right." He took a deep breath and moved him towards the doors, the doors swung open and an excited Miles Lawrence came out to greet them.

"Walker, thank God!"

Manning felt his twin's grip tighten on his arm.

"Walker?" Todd snorted. "You're such an idiot. At least I can recognize my own sibling."

"Victor?" Miles eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the other man. Todd held his breath.

"They moved Walker before I had the chance to get him out." The sorrow was evident in his voice. "I know it's no victory, but I can offer you my brother for yours."

"Come in." Miles gave a quick nod. "We'll take this to Lazareth."

Todd's head whipped up to face him before turning to look at Victor. His brothers face remained blank, but he squeezed Todd's arm again in acknowledgment. Manning watched his lips part slowly, his eyes narrowing at Miles.

"Walker said he has not risen."

"No." Miles shook his head. "But soon, come see!"

He ushered the twins through the door, taking a moment to yank at Todds cuffs as he led them down the hall into a small room. On the bed, surrounded by machines and medication pumps, was Mitch Lawrence.

….

Starr Manning was not expecting to see another car at the entrance of the Fortress when she and Michael pulled up out front. She felt the little hairs on the back of her arm stand on end as the Security ushered her past them and into the garage.

"Who is that?" She yelped as soon as the window lowered.

"Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Roberts." He told her efficiently, and Starr felt the fear rush out of her.

"Have they been verified?" Starr asked cautiously, despite the fact that she couldn't think of a less threatening duo then Clint and Cord.

"Yes. I was getting ready to phone Ms. Lord when you arrived."

"Thank you, Davis. Tell my Uncles we'll wait for them in the lobby."

"More family?" Michael asked cautiously, when she collapsed back against the seat.

"More Buchanan's." Starr smiled. "Uncles to match the set of Aunts upstairs."

"Ah." He smirked as the car pulled into the secure garage and shuttered to a halt, Starr marveled at the way it had all become routine, not just for her but for Michael, in one short week.

She stood smiling as the Buchanan car pulled in and Cord and Clint got out, chortling back and forth to each other, Texas accents thick from their time in their home state.

"Your aunts have a type." Michael snorted.

"No." She grinned at his confusion. "I mean yes. That type is Buchanan. They're father and son."

"Oh." Michael blinked. "I'd been meaning to give you the official title.. of most complicated family..'

"Thanks." She sighed, before her Uncle Clint caught her eye and smiled widely at her.

"Starr." He called jovially.

"Uncle Clint." She tossed her arms around him, before doing the same to Cord. "This is my boyfriend, Michael."

"Allan Quartermaine's grandson." Clint studied him intensely. "I can see quite a bit of Edward in you."

"Really?" His voice made Starr reach for his hand. Michael blinked, his eyes widening as the edges of his usually somber mouth quirked up.

"You have his eyes." Clint nodded before turning to his son. "You'll have to watch this one Cord, he'll have BE out from under us before breakfast."

"Is that so?" Cord smirked.

"I come in peace." Michael put up his free hand with a sly smile.

"We better get upstairs." Buchanan continued. "I'm sure Tina's worked herself into a tizzy this past week and I haven't seen Vicki in almost six months."

Starr watched them hurry towards the elevator and couldn't help but grin after them. As crazy as things had been there was something so normal about her Uncle Clint bustling about, griping about her aunts and BE she had to smile.

….

"I don't understand." Todd shook his head. "He was dead. For real this time, he was-."

"So were you. Hell, so was I." Victor told him gruffly. "_For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."_

Manning took a slow breath and turned to face his brother. Victor was staring at the floor, his head bobbing up and down slowly.

"I don't understand!" Todd yelled.

"You still can't see it." He lifted his arms to the ceiling, and cast a lazy look at Miles. "Forgive him. He knows not what he does."

"_O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;_" The middle Lawrence brother looked between the Lord twins.

"We'll help him see." Victor nodded. "Father, in his mercy will help him see."

"This is as he wants it, to rule with his brother at his side. Three branches one tree."

"We are one." Victor said dutifully, Todd's heart skipped a beat. He drew himself up slowly.

"Anyone want to clue me in? As far as I know my two fathers have a combined total of three deaths."

"_As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father_" Miles smiled at him. "Just as you have risen, so has he."

"Our father is alive?" Todd whispered slowly. "Impossible, he'd be over a hundred years old."

"The Father is alive in the son. To know the son is to know the father! '_It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found..'_" Miles looked back at Mitch for a second, touching his foot. "Come with me. I will show you."

The Lawrence brother walked ahead and Todd turned to look at his sibling.

"Marco." He muttered.

"Polo." Victor growled back.

"Just checking." He sighed.

"I'm still here."

"How you feeling?"

"Itchy." He sighed, pretending to prod his brother along.

"Yeah. I bet."

He followed Miles into the room at the end of the hall, the familiar swirls on the wall before him. On each was labeled with gold lettering: Lord, Lawrence and Alcazar. Todd felt Victor's stifled gasp from behind him.

And there it was, the mysterious third branch.

…

Blair had given her statement to to about four different law enforcement agencies before going off to look for her son. She finally spotted John McBain standing at the back of the building. He signaled her over.

"Took you long enough."

"Blair.." He said softly, pulling her out the back exit. "I need you to come with me."

"What? Is it Todd? What happened?"

"I'm sorry." John told her calmly, gesturing behind him at the police van. In it she could see her son sitting rigidly on a bench. His hands behind his back, Then her eyes slid to the front cab where Tomas Delgado held a gun to Natalie's head.

"He said we need to get in the van." McBain breathed. "Or he'll kill them both."

Blair Manning got in the van.


	15. Chapter 15

"Are you alright?" Blair leaned in to her son as John McBain took the plastic zip tie from Delgado's outstretched hand.

"I'm fine." He growled. "He had Natalie, I couldn't run."

"Your face.." She whispered, noticing the angry welt on his cheek.

"Yeah well I said I couldn't run, didn't stop me from running my mouth." He muttered.

"Blair?" John held up the zip tie, and Jack watched his mother roll her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing!" She spit at him as he tied her hands together. "If it isn't my long lost fiancé! Where the hell have you been Tomas? Or is it Lorenzo now?"

Jack watched the muscles in the other man's jaw clench and release.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" She yelped. "Maybe you can paint me a picture!"

He turned his eyes towards her and gave her a long look Jack wasn't sure he approved of.

"Blair, please." John whispered, placing his palms between the two of them. "You don't know who you're dealing with here."

"You're right. I have no idea who this man is." She snipped, sitting down heavily beside her son.

Delgado kept his grip on Natalie, pulling her with him into the cab. He gestured his weapon at John.

"Drive. Back out to the main road, go left at the first intersection." John stood stiff for a moment before the other man pressed his weapon against Natalie's ribs so hard she winced. John raised his palms again, settling into the driver's seat.

…

"Three branches. Three brothers." Miles grinned at the wall, running his hand over the four gold letters of Victor's family name. The one Todd had denounced, the one his brother had refused to take. "The Lord, our father." He said almost reverently. "Lazarus, The Messenger." He said, moving his hand to his own family moniker, before stopping and tapping lightly on the Alcazar name. "Lucifer, the personification of evil."

Victor felt a faint buzzing in the back of his head, he pushed back against it, settling his eyes on his brother. Todd's face was pinched in concentration, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He could almost hear his questions, but it did nothing but make the buzzing louder.

"Personification of evil?" Todd choked. "Isn't that a little dramatic? I've met the guy, he paints in the park."

"No." Victor whispered, the buzzing growing louder. In his mind he saw Tomas Delgado his face twisted into a sneer, towering over a younger version his brother bound to a chair. Only it wasn't his brother. "It.. was all a cover…"

"Victor.." Todd's voice was flat, a beacon he tried to reach for as the memory overwhelmed him.

"I remember."

…...

Jack watched his mother glare at her former lover with a level of contempt he hadn't seen in some time.

"Did you hit my son?" She asked, her mouth drawn into a straight line. The other man remained silent. "Were you married to Skye? Where you married to her when you turned my husband over to Irene Manning?"

"Mom." Jack called quietly watching the man's jaw clench and release.

"Answer me!" She yelled.

"Mom, stop." Jack saw it coming before she did, He made a move to block it, straining against his restraints.

"Who the hell are you?!" She shouted just as Tomas Delgado's weapon whipped forward and smacked against the side of her head.

"Mom!" He yelled again as Natalie twisted in his grasp and Blair sunk to the floor. "Mom!"

"Natalie?" John yelled from the front as his cousin continued to take the opportunity to try and get the upper hand.

"Stop!" Jack pleaded, looking from his mother to his cousin. "Please. Stop. He'll kill us."

"Natalie?!" John's voice yelped again from the driver seat as the van careened left.

Blair made a soft moaning sound and Natalie looked down at her.

"Please." Jack locked eyes with her. "Please."

Natalie let her body go Limp and Delgado pushed her back to toward the bench.

"Somebody talk to me!" McBain begged.

"It's fine John!" Natalie yelled back. "We'll do what he says."

….


	16. Chapter 16

When Mitch left the room to take a phone call and Todd's head whipped around to his brother.

"You still with me?"

"I remembered something." He looked at him, mouth agape. "A 'me before you' something."

"What?"

"Luis Alcazar. He had me in a chair, there was a widow behind me. I could see my refection. It was you, but it was me."

"Vic, I need you to stay focused-."

"Before she had my face altered." He spit. "He looked so much like Tomas, no wonder I never trusted the guy…"

"How do you know it was Luis?"

"I was begging him." Victor said softly. _Please Luis_, he can hear himself saying. "Not to do something. Kill me maybe… I was young." He squinted his eyes, Todd swallowed hard.

"I need you here right now Victor." Todd told him calmly. "We can deal with the other stuff later."

"I remember one thing about my whole life and you want me to wait?!" He grumbled. "Okay so three brothers. Three.."

"Lorenzo Alcazar only had one. I know I researched the crap out of him when we figured out he was Tomas."

"Tomas Delgado had two." Victor told him softly. "Del and Jose."

"Del.. was an FBI agent? I remember-." Todd's mind conjured up a mental image of the guy. "I don't think I ever met-."

"Jose died, before Del.. he supposedly looked like Tomas…" Victor tried to remember every story his wife had ever told him about her brothers, but all he could picture was Luis Alcazar standing over him while he pleaded.

"I'd figure as much as Lorenzo looked like Luis." Todd sighed, his head lulling towards his brother."Vic?"

"Why this? Why this memory?"

"Victor." Todd's voice was a warning. He turned to look at him, nodding in defeat. The door swung open and Miles Lawrence strode in.

"Looks like we're about to have some more guests."

* * *

Cord Roberts sat up slowly, disengaging himself from his sleeping wife, unsure of where he was. He reached for his phone, grasping it to his face before murmuring.

"'Lo?"

"Cord?" The voice on the other end was low and serious and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Bo?" He was still confused, he glanced around the room for a minute before it flooded back. He was at Blair's penthouse. The fortress, they called it.

"I went by Llanfair, no one was there. Not a soul. Not Nigel or Lois, it looked abandoned." He said softly. "Are you in town?"

"We are, but after everything that happened we've decided not to stay at Llanfair for now. It's complicated-."

"I'm afraid that's not why I'm calling." He said stiffly. "I have bad news."

Cord didn't think he wanted anymore bad news.

"CJ was found in his patrol car last night. He'd been shot and left for dead."

"What?" Cord yelped, feeling Tina stir beside him.

"He's at Llanview Hospital, the bullet grazed his skull, he's stable but-."

"Bo I have to tell-."

"There's more." He interrupted sternly. "Is Vicki with you?"

"Vicki?"

"Natalie was last seen in the car with CJ. She hasn't been located."

"Damn it. Vicki's with me." Cord sighed. "I'll.. I'll tell her."

"I need to know what the hell is going on here." Bo hissed. "I have one cop in the hospital and another missing, and both of them happen to be relatives. I've been calling McBain and he's not answering. I've left Anna Duvane about seventy messages-."

"I'll call you back." Cord growled, before hanging up the phone. He looked at Tina, reaching out and grasping her arm. "Honey you need to wake up."

* * *

Blair's face hurt, her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion before she brought her bound hand up slowly and touched it, a sharp hiss of breath shot out of her lips.

"Mom?"

"Jack?" She murmured, trying in vain to open her eyes, she groaned at the ache that settled across the bridge of her nose.

"Mom don't try and move too much. You were hit pretty hard. You've been unconscious." He sounded like Todd and that made her smile.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Mom." He sighed. "You're the one who's hurt."

"Tomas.."

"It's not Tomas."

"Lorenzo.." Her voice trailed off.

"Not him either." Jack's voice growled. "Luis. His name is Luis Alcazar."

"Wh-?"

"Shhh." Her son hisses.

She hears a door open and she hears boots scuffle against the ground and then the door shuts again.

"Are you alright?" Jack mumbles.

"Yeah. You?" A soft feminine voice reassures him. "Is sh-"

"Natalie?" The older woman realizes.

"Blair?" She sighs.

"What's going on?" She scrunches up her face for a second before opening her eyes, blinking into the semilit room. Jack was handcuffed to a chair.

"We are guests of Luis Alcazar." She shook her head.

"Where?"

"I have no idea. About an hour or so from where we were? It's hard to tell."

"Mom?" Jack's voice is soft.

"What Sweetheart?" She struggles to sit, feeling Natalie's shoulder press against her back to help her.

"I have Dad's phone."

"What?" Natalie's voice is airy and light, Blair blinks, trying to bring her fuzzy form into focus.

"I.. he gave it to me, when he and Uncle Victor left."

"Jack why didn't you say something?!" Natalie whispered.

"Who are we going to call?"

"Uncle Bo?" Natalie muttered. "My parents?!"

"And tell them what?" Jack asked her. "We don't know where we are."

"That we've been taken."

"Surely they've found CJ's body by now Natalie they know we've been taken!"

Blair's head throbbed as the words forced their way in.

"CJ's body?" She moaned.

"We don't know that he's dead Jack."

"He was shot in the head on the side of the road Nat, you think he just walked it off?"

"Hey!" Blair yelped, her body flinching with the effort. She could see them as clearly as her swollen face was going to allow. "Slow down, and tell me what happened. All of it."


End file.
